In Matthew’s Gospel, Matthew has skillfully constructed Matthew 8–9 into a series of mighty acts of Jesus. The initial segment (8:1-17) is instructive for seeing Jesus’ kingdom signifying actions as involving the shattering of religious and cultural boundaries. Jesus performs three explicit miracles in this segment: cleansing of a leper (8:1-4), the healing of a Centurion’s servant (8:5-13), and the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (8:14-15).

It is significant to reflect on the reason for Matthew reporting these initial three events as he does. All three of the persons whom Jesus engages in his mighty actions represents a group marginalized in some fashion in the pious circles of first century Judaism. The leper was ritually unclean and forced to exist on the fringes of society as an unwanted outcast. The Roman centurion represented the hated Empire and was a tangible reminder of the ongoing Exiled condition of God’s people evening their own land. Likewise the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law is significant because women enjoyed much lower status than men in the culture of the time. But throughout the Gospels, Jesus associates freely with women. This was uncommon for a spiritual leader.

The importance of boundary breaking is not merely symbolic or politically motivated. It is central to the values of the kingdom. The Gospel is for all humanity. Moreover the Gospel advances through its introduction to outsiders. When former outsiders become insiders through the Gospel, they become new conduits of God’s grace to previously unreached people. Jesus’ boundary breaking created new mission driven people. Reflect on the three groups mentioned in Matthew 8 (lepers, Roman centurions, and women). All of these groups serve as unexpected witnesses for the power of the Gospel. Jesus sends the leper immediately to the priest to serve as “a testimony to them” (8:4). Immediately after Jesus’ death on the cross, the centurion’s present at the crucifixion exclaimed, “Truly this was the Son of God.” This is profound in that their confession mirrors Peter’s earlier declaration at Caesaria Philippi (Matt 16:16), but unlike Peter who balked at an understanding of Jesus as Son of God that involved death on a cross (Matt 16:21-23), the centurions recognize the reality of Jesus’ identity after watching how he died. In essence, they are the first truly public witnesses of Jesus and they are outsiders. Likewise (and perhaps unsurprisingly in light of God’s mission) women serve as the initial witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection (Matt 28:1-10 cf. Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, and John 20:1–18). Deploying women as heralds of the good news of God’s victory is profoundly significant and subversive. Women were unable to serve as witnesses in legal disputes yet God unleashes them to be the first proclaimers of the Resurrection. Their message ultimately changed the world.

Thus, by engaging such persons actively and without reservation, Jesus models a cross-cultural and boundary exploding mission that can run against the current of societal prejudice and injustice. The Gospel is liberating and egalitarian in outlook. God’s mission involves extending the message of the Kingdom to all people, especially to those marginalized by society or by religious insiders. Boundary breaking mission also keeps social justice on the front-burner. Jesus demonstrated through his life that God is radically for the marginalized, the poor, the sick, the dying, the foreigner (even representatives of the privileged empire), and the outcast. Christ followers of today would do well to heed this model as they plot to launch to communities of faith.

Perhaps reflection on these question: Where would Jesus establish new communities of faith today? What people in our social location represent outsiders? A missional reading reminds God’s people that a biblical model of missional outreach will always include persons different from us.

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Don’t miss the power of this familiar story. Jesus’ feeding of the multitudes is one of his best-known miracles. To some it sounds too far fetched to be credible in any literal way. To others it is too familiar to listen to again carefully. But in its audacity we will find an abundance and a potent message.

In God’s Kingdom there is no scarcity. There is no need for force or violence. There is no effort required. We simply come to dine at a table set up in an oasis in the wilderness of our life’s journey. We don’t even have to serve ourselves. The Risen Jesus comes to serve us the real meal that we’ve desired all of our lives. All that we must do is come hungry and eat to our heart’s fill. As we walk from this table, we are invited to return and bring others with us. There will always be enough for us all.

Do you believe this? Or are you caught up in the scarcity of the world around you?
As our world continues to meander forward waiting for the end of the seeming never-ending economic difficulties, we have grown accustomed to belt-tightening and living with less. Real estate markets continue to teeter. Families struggle. Jobs are tough to find. Workers toil harder for less. More and more people fear that the future will not be better than the past. It is a temptation to believe that scarcity defines our lives. This would be a mistake. Let us engage Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 with fresh eyes and find renewed hope.

A People Looking For Abundance

Our text finds Jesus in the company of a great multitude. The crowds have gathered precisely because in Jesus they have experienced something alien to their normal existence—powerful signs from God and authoritative teaching that offers more than the typical fare received from the religious leadership of the day. In Jesus they recognize one in whom they can find a real meal of substance and true sustenance for the journey of life. Later in the Gospel, Jesus will say, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

The gospels consistently present Jesus as the One sent from God for those who are desperate for that which only God can grant. Already in John’s Gospel, Jesus has transformed the life of a Samaritan woman and a healed man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Following on the heels of Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, these actions served as signs to the dawn of a new era of God’s work in the world. In response, the crowds gather around Jesus hoping to see the abundance of God’s salvation. They will not be disappointed. Significantly, the time to celebrate Passover was near. God’s people would be remembering God’s mighty deliverance of his people from Egypt. This action was the decisive saving event in the Old Testament. The Exodus demonstrated God’s love, mercy, and power. In Jesus’ day God’s people celebrated the Passover in remembrance of the original Exodus and in the hope and anticipation that God would again act to bring renewed hope, peace, justice, and good in the present. The stage is set. In this season of anticipation and remembrance, Jesus stands ready to reveal a new outpouring of God’s salvation.

But our text reveals much more than Jesus’ readiness to perform a sign during a key season. It also demonstrates his willingness. Close to 5000 people have followed Jesus to a mountain near the Sea of Galilee. They have gathered in expectation of more signs. But Jesus is going to do more than merely heal the sick among them. He was to touch personally each life before him. There has been no request for food but Jesus demonstrates God’s care for all and the truth that God knows what we need before we even ask. Just as God fed the Israelites in the Wilderness after they had been delivered from Egypt now Jesus stands poised to offer not simply bread for the day but bread for all eternity to those who have gathered.

Expanding the Imagination of His Closest Followers
After seeing the large crowd Jesus calls together his closest followers. He inquires about purchasing bread for them to eat. Our text calls this a test. As usual, the disciples are clueless and experience an epic fail. Philip comments that a half year’s pay wouldn’t be enough. Andrew, probably with sarcasm, observes a small boy with five loaves and a couple of fish and adds wryly, “But what are they among so many people?”

This cuts to the root of the problem. Jesus sees and offers possibility but too often his followers are blind to all but scarcity. Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of the goal.” The disciples have already witnessed Jesus turning water to wine. They watched him cleanse the temple. They heard him reveal truth to Nicodemus. They observed him transforming the Samaritan woman from a confused person with a compromised life to a transformed witness to God’s truth. They had just seen him heal a man who had lived in bondage to an illness for 38 years.

Let’s ponder some even deeper truths revealed in John’s Gospel: Jesus has come to make God known. He has come to offer abundant life. He has come to show the way to the Father. If these mysteries are within our grasp through the mission of Jesus, how can the feeding of a multitude present any real problem?

This story invites us to expand our ability to trust and rely on God for answers to the biggest struggles in our lives. His first disciples ultimately learned this truth and gave their energies and talents to proclaim the good news to the known world of their day.

A Theology of Enough
Five loaves and two fish may have seemed only enough to feed a small boy. But Jesus knew differently. In the hands of the Son of God, these rations would be plenty for all. Jesus performs a miracle in order to proclaim the abundance that is found in God.

Many of us know Psalm 23 from its frequent use. Reflect on some of its lines: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures…You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…my cup overflows…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of our life….” In feeding the 5000, Jesus tangibly demonstrates the truth of these words. Jesus embodies all that it means for God to act as a shepherd. Jesus has the crowd sit down in the grass. Jesus himself takes the food, gives thanks to God, and distributes the meal personally to each person.

Jesus offers the crowd no mere snack. It is a feast. Each receives as much as each one desires. All ate until their appetites were satisfied. But there is more. Jesus didn’t merely feed 5000 with a few loaves of bread and fish. He has enough for the world. He is the true bread of life. Later in John 6, he will exclaim, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” The disciples gathered up twelve baskets of leftovers. This number represents the totality of God’s children. As there were twelve tribes of God’s people, there are twelve baskets of food. With God, there is always an abundance. God’s working of a miracle for one group of people in no way limits God’s ability to touch others. There is enough!

In response, the crowd recognizes Jesus as a prophet who has come into the world. Indeed he is and so much more. As the bread of life, he will give his own life and be raised anew in order to offer us an even greater abundance—a transformed life and reality.

A Warning to the Crowds
Our text ends with a warning. We cannot force the hand of God. The response of the crowds to the abundant feast was to attempt to make Jesus king by force. Violence and human scheming are not the pathways to abundance. Let’s be clear: abundance is the will of God. But it cannot be taken—it can only be received. It cannot be hoarded—it must be shared. It cannot be purchased—it is free. There is no scarcity in God’s kingdom—there is always plenty.

The abundance offered by Jesus is the answer, but it begs us to ask this question: How hungry are we? Jesus offers us a feast. There is enough. Come and eat to your fill. Once we’ve eaten let us go forth into the world, live the abundant life that Jesus empowers us to embrace and embody, and serve as witnesses to God’s goodness.

Meister Eckhart:
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

Albert Schweitzer:
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

Albert Schweitzer:
To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.

Karl Barth:
Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.

Cicero:
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

G.K. Chesterton:
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

Epictetus:
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

William Faulkner:
Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.

Melody Beattie:
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Samuel Johnson:
Nature seems to have implanted gratitude in all living creatures…It appears to me that culture, which brings luxury and selfishness with it, has a tendency rather to weaken than promote this affection.

Aesop:
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.

I will never forget the first prayer that my oldest daughter offered at the age of two: Jesus, thank you for coming. Amen. In one line, she captured the essence of our life with God. The life of faith flows out of gratitude. Gratitude is an inner attitude of thankfulness that overflows into our interaction with God and others. John F. Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” Without gratitude, a vital relationship with God is easily reduced to religious obligation. A life lived under the yoke of obligation can end in bitterness and cynicism. In contrast, a life lived out of gratitude opens up the future. The life of gratitude recognizes the giftedness of our existence and relationship with God. We have been touched and transformed by God’s kindness. An encounter with God’s gracious acts shapes us into the type of people whom God desires - grateful persons living out the gift of new life for the sake of others. These are the sorts of persons whom God can use to change the world. These are the types of people who impact others with the deepest magic in the universe…

NRSV Mk. 9:2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Surfing is a sport that confounds popular wisdom. Most outsiders can marvel at the beauty of the ocean and the obvious joy that riding waves brings to the sport’s enthusiasts. But to most outsiders surfing seems inherently too dangerous. The most common question asked of surfers: Aren’t you afraid of getting attacked by a shark? Most surfers laugh at this question. Of course no surfer desires to experience a shark bite. Most surfers would prefer to not even see a shark! But the bottom line is this: surfers don’t worry about sharks because they are in the water to ride waves. If you interview a few surfers, you discover the secret of these aquatic daredevils. They will confess that catching their first wave served as a life-changing event. The moment that they caught their first wave they were forever transformed. When a surfer catches a wave, she has a mystical experience in which she becomes one with the ocean. The board lifts up, the wind rushes through the ears, time stands still, and the surfer feels as though she is flying. This initial experience keeps every surfer coming back to the beach for more.

Our biblical text describes a life changing, paradigm shifting, high altitude encounter with the divine that forever shaped Jesus’ disciples into world changers. Mark 9:2-9 narrates a glimpse into the future resurrection of Jesus. Christ followers remember this moment as Transfiguration Sunday.

Our text follows on the heels of Jesus’ sublime conversation with his disciples at Caesaria Philippi. For the first time, the disciples openly started to grasp the identity of Jesus. Moreover, Jesus began to teach them about the necessity of his death and resurrection for God’s mission to bring wholeness and salvation to humanity. Jesus ups the stakes of discipleship by declaring that only those who embrace a life of unbridled commitment to God may be reckoned as his true followers. This commitment involves a willingness to risk even life itself for the sake of the Gospel. The good news about Jesus centers on his death on the cross. In fact, Jesus cannot be understood apart from his crucifixion, but neither can discipleship. Following Jesus is thus fundamentally a call to die to self and embrace a sacrificial existence so that God can deploy us in the world for the sake of his mission.

High Altitude Encounters are Purposeful
Since the Gospel is clearly not for the faint of heart or for the lukewarm, Jesus offers his disciples a glimpse into the full truth of his identity by inviting a representative group to accompany him up to the top of a high mountain. He selects Peter, James and John. These men were the leaders among Jesus’ earliest band of followers.

Jesus takes them to the top of a mountain because for the ancients mountains represented the abode of the divine. The gods and goddesses of old inhabited holy or cosmic mountains. Moreover as the God of the Scriptures began to reveal himself to God’s people in Israel’s scriptures many significant encounters occurred on mountains. Abraham had taken Isaac to the top of mount Moriah in anticipation of sacrificing him. Moses received the Ten Commandments and many of the laws of the Torah at mount Sinai. Elijah returned there centuries later to find rejuvenated faith. Mountains were places of revelation and commissioning for God’s service.

Once Jesus, Peter, James, and John reach the pinnacle of the mountain something astonishing happens. Before their eyes, Jesus shifts in appearance from an earthly one to a heavenly one. Jesus glistens with a supernatural glow. Our text is unable to describe it with human language, but it is obvious to the disciples that they are in the presence of someone who is no mere man. Moreover, they also discover that they are no longer alone with Jesus. Moses and Elijah are conversing with him. These are two towering figures of the Old Testament Scriptures. Moses was the mediator through whom God revealed the Torah for God’s people; Elijah was greatest of the prophets.

The disciples are dumbfounded and scared by the experience. But it is not over. There is one more addition to the gathering on the mountaintop. Suddenly a cloud envelopes them and they hear a voice, saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him.” Though unstated, this is the distinct voice of God. The words here echo the words spoken by God at the baptism of Jesus. God’s affirmation about Jesus alludes to Old Testament Scripture and declares the true nature of Jesus’ identity. This affirmation by God informs the disciples that Jesus is indeed God’s agent to make manifest the Kingdom of God on earth. As son, Jesus is the long-awaited, heaven sent, and spirit empowered figure to declare God’s salvation to the world.

Reflect for a few moments on the multi-sensory experience of the transfiguration. The disciples saw the transformation of Jesus, the appearance of Elijah and Moses, and the arrival of the cloud. They felt the change in temperature and probably the mist present when the cloud enveloped them. And they heard the voices of Moses, Elijah, and of God himself. The experience at the top of the mountain was indeed a high-altitude encounter with the divine. But there is more!

Notice what is added to God’s words that were not present at Jesus’ baptism. God adds an exhortation: Listen to him! If we miss the significance of the exhortation, we will misunderstand the Transfiguration. The experience of the disciples is revelatory about Jesus but more importantly it is prescriptive for their lives. The defining moment of the Transfiguration is found in God’s call to obedience. The true meaning of Jesus is to move beyond recognizing his identity and to realign our lives around his words and life. Every experience that we have with God is a reminder of the necessity of a moment-by-moment walk with Jesus as we follow him into the world on mission.

Don’t Chase Religious Experiences as Ends of Themselves
The response of Peter to the Transfiguration is humorous. Peter suggests that he build shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But Peter and disciples learned a valuable lesson. The experience ends as quickly as it began. There was to be no lingering on the mountain. Jesus leads them back down the hill and back into the real world in which he begins his journey to Jerusalem and the cross.

This move from the mountain top back into the valleys of life is a crucial lesson for us. Too often we face the temptation of trying to re-experience past encounters with God by returning to past places or practices. Or our highest vision for a life with God is one in which we pursue one religious experience after another as ends in themselves. Jesus ordered his disciples to remain quiet about what they experienced until after his resurrection. There was work to do and a mission to fulfill.

The lesson is clear. Every new experience of God’s grace is a propellant for our going into the world to share the good news. When we are blessed with a time on the mountain top, let us hasten back into the valleys of life to bring a hopeful message to those who are hurting and desperate to hear a voice of hope.

Mountain Top Experiences Prepare Us for the Future
Jesus’ first disciples had a mission to fulfill; so do we. It is a high calling. Ultimately Jesus is not calling us merely to work to make a difference in the world. The call of Jesus is more radical. Jesus is calling us to give ourselves fully to God’s mission of making a different world.

Surfers keep going back into the water because they can remember their first wave. That memory drives them back into the oceans of the world despite the dangers implicit in surfing: sharks, undertow, powerful waves and the like. It is no coincidence that the Transfiguration marks a milestone in the Gospel of Jesus. When the disciples faced the adversity and dangers of living as Jesus’ people in the world, they could look back on defining mountain top experiences to find strength, courage and purpose for the future that God invited them to shape. Our own experiences of God serve in the same way. We can live courageously in the present based on our past mountain top experiences in anticipation of the good future that God promises.

How is God calling you to engage the world outside the walls of this place in the community where you live? It is in your daily life that you will see the fruit of any high altitude encounter with God that you may have. This is the Jesus way.

What do you think?

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Mammoth Cave National Park in southwestern Kentucky preserves the worlds longest known system of caverns. To this moment, spelunkers have charted and explored over 390 miles of the caves. Guided tours are available and they give the public access to the breathtaking beauty of the subterranean sights. At one point of the tour, the guide leads the group into a large open area known as the rotunda. At this point, the guide reminds the group that the cave is lit by artificial light. After giving a warning, the guide drops the power switch and everyone in the cave encounters absolute total darkness. Every cliche about the night makes instant sense. Nothing is visible at all. The rotunda typically resounds with the screams of the uninitiated. But of course the lights are turned back on quickly and the tour resumes.

The contrast between light and darkness in the cave tour hints at the explosiveness of the Gospel of Jesus Chris. The Gospel of Mark arrives to us as a message and voice of hope. Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark does not begin with Jesus’ birth. Instead, Mark begins with an audacious announcement and a key reminder. His book is about the “beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Don’t pass over a key word and pivotal phrase.

First, Mark announces that his writing marks the “beginning.” This is important. He is about to share the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. But this story set in the past is ultimately about possibilities for the present and future. Jesus’ story exists for us wherever we find ourselves.

The truth is most of find ourselves or someone whom we love stumbling in the dark like those on the Mammoth Cave tour. The darkness may come in the form of a broken relationship, illness, economic hardship, guilt or any of the myriad of troubles that we face in our lives. This leads us to our second point. Mark is announcing “good news.” This is the root meaning of “Gospel.” Followers of Jesus have a gospel or good news to share. It is a message that can cut through any darkness that we or those whom we know may face in this world.

Announcement
In our Scripture lesson for today, we are at the very beginning of Mark’s story of good news. Mark’s story begins with an echo from the past. Through the voice of Scripture, God calls out in the ancient words of Isaiah the prophet. This signals that a time of spiritual reawakening is at hand. God stands poised and ready to renew his work and mission in the world. The gears of divine grace are again turning. The announcement is life changing and sublime: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

God’s long awaited age of salvation is coming. Mark’s story shares “the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection equaled the coming of the Lord. Mark’s story begins with an announcement of Jesus’ coming. And what an announcement it is. But this declaration of the Lord’s coming is delivered by a remarkable agent. We know him as John the Baptist or John the Baptizer.

John the Baptist does not arrive on the scene in Jerusalem or some other center of power. He is in the wilderness region of the Jordan river. There is a sublime truth here. The mighty works of God often occur on the margins of life where outsiders and societal misfits live. None of us has to be wealthy, well connected, or a somebody for God to use us to spark a renewal of faith and hope in our day. John the Baptist was indeed a messenger from God but his message was spoken from the fringes. This reality did not hold him back one bit. Perhaps it allowed him to be even more bold and daring in his speech. Our Scripture lesson tells us that people from the country as well as Jerusalem itself came out to hear him and receive baptism.

Realignment
How does one prepare for a new work of God? What does it take to make the paths straight? John’s message is straightforward and disconcertingly simple but it is a vital one. John calls on those who hear him to receive a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.

We create a spirit of receptivity in ourselves when we recognize our need to change or realign our lives in light of what God is doing. Even secular thinkers recognize the need for change and reevaluation. Johan von Goethe wrote, “We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.” George Santayana said, “In a moving world readaptation is the price of longevity.” All life involves movement. It is simple geometry to recognize that when we move or when are goals move then we will find ourselves off course. The best illustration of this is the GPS navigational equipment used in airliners and ocean going vessels. Airplanes and ships that deploy GPS technology always arrive to their destination but at any given moment along the route they are likely to be off course. However, the navigational system continually realigns itself so that the vessel ends up at its intended destination. There is deep wisdom in this metaphor. Repentance or realignment assumes movement in life. Our lives are never static. Change is inevitable. God continues to move forward in God’s mission to make love, justice, peace, and wholeness the final verdict on creation. Moreover in our daily journey through this world we make small and some times big choices. Some of these move us toward God; some of these move us away from God. The latter we call sin. The movement back toward God is repentance. This occurs when we recognize that we have gotten off course in our lives and we wholeheartedly turn back toward him.

In John’s day, John called his contemporaries to a radical return to God that included a tangible public witness of this return in the form of baptism. Baptism serves as an initiation into the ways of the LORD but also as a public witness to others of our intention to turn away from our old way of life and align for the first time or realign with the good news that God is doing in the world through Jesus. There is a key lesson here: realignment is actually a commission for mission. We become shareholders and caretakers of the good news that we have heard. From this moment forward, our words and our deeds serve as tangible clues to the world of the good news first announced by John the Baptist, then embodied by Jesus, and now carried forward by his past, present, and future followers.

Expectation
It is vital that we refuse to hear John’s story as merely a call to use our will power to make necessary changes in our lives. John’s message and call for realignment depends on a response from us, but the power for change lies in God alone. We can recognize our need, but only God can do the work. But the good news is that God stands ready, willing and able to do this. This is the essence of John’s message and even his odd appearance signaled something special.

John’s rough look marked him as an outsider to be sure, but it also was a sign to his generation. His appearance was not a new look, but rather it was designed to bring to mind the great Old Testament prophet Elijah. Elijah’s return was to mark the beginning of the new era of God’s work. These symbols would have stoked the imaginations and expectations of the people of his day. But his words were even more explosive.

John announces the coming of one even greater than Elijah. Of course, he is referring to Jesus. Whereas John has used mere water for baptism, Jesus will offer the spirit. In other words, John is announcing a time of invitation where we can be fully immersed not merely symbolically with water but in God. This is the good news. We are not alone. Darkness is not the final word. God offers us renewal. Are we ready to realign with his invitation?

Conclusion
So today friends, our text invites us to take a look at ourselves. If you have come near to God already, give thanks and continue to remain open to his work in your life. Be open for the ongoing work of realignment as we serve as Jesus’ men and women in the world. But if you find yourself feeling far from God or even unsure about any of this, remember this: light has come to pierce any and all darkness. Don’t give up. The same God who sent John to call us back is still calling out to us today with the very good news about Jesus.

The endings of the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy are instructive for us to this day. At the end of the book of Exodus, God’s people exist as a sacred community with God’s presence in its midst (Exod 40:34-38). Israel is truly in the world, but not of it. Israel’s role is to serve as a missional community that embodies and reflects God’s character for the sake of the nations around them. Moreover, the end of the book of Exodus presents God’s people on a journey. When moving, God’s presence serves as a vanguard leading the people into the world as a pillar of cloud by day and as fire by night. When settled, God’s glory dwells anew at the center of the community. In a sense, the function of God’s people is sacramental. With God at its center, Israel functioning fully as a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” exists as a means of blessing for all people. Hope is reborn in the world. Israel is a taste of the new humanity that God ultimately will reveal in Jesus of Nazareth.

Deuteronomy concludes with a transition from Moses to Joshua as the leader of God’s people. Yet profoundly, Moses will live on through the Torah. Moses the man dies (Deut 34:1-12). But Moses’ witness continues on through the book of the Law (Deut 28:56, 28:61, 29:20, 29:21, 29:27, 30:10, 31:24, 31:26 and 32:46). The Torah that Moses received from God and taught God’s people on the plains of Moab will abide with God’s people as an authoritative guide to the true way of life and as a warning against disobedience. We find here the beginning of a Torah piety and a mode of life rooted in Scripture. It is notable that the Prophets and Writings begin with exhortations to remain obedient to the Torah of God (Josh 1:7-8 and Ps 1:2).

Thus, God’s missional people advance the cause of God in the world by being propelled by the twin realities of God’s real presence through the Tabernacle and through God’s voice as mediated through the Mosaic revelation.

What do you think?

© 2011 Brian D. Russell

One of my favorite sections in Matthew’s Gospel is the collection of miracle stories that Matthew arranges together in 8:1–9:35. This segment of the Gospel involves three sets of miracles (8:1-17; 8:23-9:8; 9:18-35) with two sections of teaching (8:18-22 and 9:9-17) on discipleship in the middle. Matthew 8:1-9:35 follows the first major section of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew’s Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7). In Matthew 8:1-9:35, Matthew portrays the healing ministry of Jesus, and at the same time, Matthew offers additional insight into the meaning of discipleship. One major aspect of discipleship is disciple as boundary breaker. This is a dimension that desperately needs to be recaptured in our present context as we seek to recover the missional focus of discipleship. Boundary breaking involves at least two aspects: radical outreach and empowerment of the new disciples.

Boundary Breaking as Radical Outreach
In the first of the three sections of miracles (8:1-17), Jesus in rapid succession heals a leper, the servant of a Roman centurion, and Peter’s mother-in-law. It is easy for us to miss the significance of Jesus’ action because these categories of persons are unlikely to stand out in the mind of the modern reader. Yet each of these persons, a unclean leper, a representative of a hated oppressive regime, and a woman were the types of individuals that were marginalized and shunned by institutional religion in the Judaisms of the 1st century. It is impressive that the bulk of those whom Jesus encounters positively in the Gospels tend to be marginalized persons, and it is ironic that Jesus receives the most conflict from the religious leaders of his day precisely for his outreach to the lost and hurting of the world. Yet, Jesus reaches out and forms a community of the desperate – Jesus heals and delivers those who come simply with a faith that Jesus can help them in their time of need. These are persons desperate for the sorts of things that God alone can provide.

How would our ideas about discipleship be different if we reached out to the marginalized of our communities today? What if instead of treating outsiders as threats we practiced radical outreach in love?

Boundary Breaking and Empowerment
The practice of radical outreach is only a beginning. The true challenge comes at the point of entry and inclusion in the community of faith. The story of Jesus’ calling of Matthew, the tax collector, is illustrative and profound. In the call of Matthew in 9:9-13, Jesus makes a bold and daring addition to his band of disciples. He calls a hated tax collector, i.e., a collaborator with the Roman occupational government. Matthew, as a tax collector, represented the agent of the transfer of Jewish wealth and capital from Israel to Rome and also became wealth at the expense of the tax payers.

It is one thing for communities of faith to enter into patron – client relationships with marginalized persons and groups. We take “mission” trips into blighted neighborhoods or perhaps find a “sister” church with a different demographic than our own. But we can keep such encounters at arm’s length and our own communities are not disrupted by those whom we “help.” This is what makes the calling of Mathew so bold. Jesus does not merely heal or help a person and then go on his way. He invites an outsider into his closest circle of followers. He elevates Matthew the tax collector from hated outsider to a member of the twelve. Look at the list of disciples in Matthew 10:2-4. There smack dab in the middle is the name Matthew with the descriptive title “tax collector.” This is boundary breaking in a way that truly empowers an outsider to the position of colleague rather than client. If we want to lead our communities of faith into radical outreach that will lead to growth of our communities, then we need to be willing to empower the newcomers by giving them authority in our communities to act and engage in ministry as partners. Jesus’ willingness to associate with persons such as Matthew brought the abuse and criticism of the Pharisees. Jesus’ response is classic and worthy of deep reflection. Jesus calls upon the words of the ancient prophet Hosea in replying, “Go and learn what this means ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice’ for I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” In the chapter ten, Jesus will send out his disciples to do similar sorts of ministry with the injunction, “go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (10:6).

If we desire to be faithful disciples of Jesus, we need to lead our communities of faith into radical outreach. There are multitudes of persons hungry, even desperate, for what God alone can provide. Who among us will go to them? Who among us will empower them to be full members of our own communities?

Reflection:
1) Who in your present context would represent a shunned or marginalized person or group?
2) What would it take to reach out to such persons in the name of Jesus Christ/
3) How good am I at “power-sharing”? What would have to change in my life if I began to include fully newcomers into my community of faith?

© 2011 Brian D. Russell

Is it better to be an insider or an outsider to a movement of God? Or perhaps a better question is this: How does one tell and insider from an outsider? Is it the words that one uses? Is it the clothing that one sports? Is it the friends with whom one hangs? Is it the title that one carries?

The power of the good news that Jesus came to announce lies in part in the Gospel’s ability to break down boundaries in surprising ways. God often reverse human expectations and puts our wisdom to shame. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the first becomes last; the last becomes first. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the head becomes the tail and the tail becomes of the head. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the strong becomes weak and weak becomes strong. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the wise becomes foolish, and the foolish becomes wise. This is not a divine conspiracy to confound humanity. Instead, it is an affirmation of every person’s utter need for God. The truly lost person is one who depends on his or her own gift, talents, and strengths apart from recognizing our lostness apart from God’s kindness and mercy toward us.

In Matthew 21, the Gospel writer highlights the high point of Jesus’ reception on earth as well and points ahead to his ultimate rejection. Matthew 21 opens with Jesus’ triumphant arrival on the back of a donkey into Jerusalem. A throng of people greet him and recognize him as the long awaited king who would restore Israel’s fortune. He cleanses the temple and heals the blind and lame. These are tangible signs that the long awaited era of God’s salvation has come. But there is a dark cloud in the midst of this good news. However the chief priests and the elders do not welcome him. They are presented as Jesus’ opponents. The persons who represented the insiders did not accept his authority and take offense at his actions. They challenge his authority.

In response to their challenge, Jesus tells two parables. First, he presents the story of two sons (21:28-32) whose father sends out to the vineyard to work it. He approaches them one at a time with the command. The first son blatantly refuses to go but later on regreted this decision and went to the vineyard to work it. The second son accepts verbally his father’s order but does not act go and work. Jesus ends the first parable by asking his opponents “Which of the two did the will of the father?”. They answered correctly by responding, “The first.” Jesus then warns ominously, “the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” This reversal of expectation sets the scene for our Scripture lesson that constitutes the second parable that Jesus speaks in response to the challenge to his authority posed by the chief priests and scribes.

God’s People as a Vineyard
Jesus’ story opens with a description of the setting. A landowner has planted a vineyard that is fully equipped for wine production. He leases it to a group of tenants and departs for another country. The imagery in this parable immediately evokes the theme of God’s people as the stewards of a garden. The book of Genesis opens with God putting humanity in a garden to “till it and keep it.” God had originally intended for women and men to serve as his stewards over all creation. Later on in the Old Testament, God describes his people Israel as an unfruitful vineyard. In other words, Jesus’ hearers would have recognized that Jesus’ parable in Matthew 21 was not some hypothetical story but directed at them. God desired for his people to bear fruit worthy of God’s mission to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Instead, Jesus encounters opposition from the very insiders who should have welcomed him enthusiastically.

A Shocking Reception
The landowner’s vineyard became a place for a showdown between himself and his tenants over possession of the wealth generated during the growing season. Despite the landowner’s generous provision of a rich and fertile vineyard for his tenants, they refuse to hand over the landowner’s share of the harvest. Instead they actively thwart his attempts to collect his produce by twice abusing and even killing some of the slaves sent by the landowner as his representatives.

Jesus presents an allegory in this parable. He clearly has the Old Testament prophets in view as persons whom God sent to warn his people to realign their priorities with God. But sadly God’s people refused to listen to the prophets. John the Baptist represented the last in the series of prophets whom God deployed to Israel.

The landowner makes a final attempt to collect. His last move is bold and audacious. Some might call it risky or even foolish. The tenants have already rejected his earlier overtures through his servants. But now he sends his son. This shows the extent to which the landowner was committed to the relationship with the tenants. Yet the tenants callously murder his son and plot to steal his inheritance.

God continuously reaches out to humanity. He had sent prophets to his people. Now in the person of Jesus, he had sent his son. God is radically for his people even when such a stance is costly to him. This is good news for insiders.

A Surprising Warning
Jesus asks his opponents what they think the landowner will do to the tenants. They answer “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

Jesus builds on their answer by issuing them a stern warning. He quotes from Ps 118:22-23, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.” This psalm tells the story of a stunning, unexpected, and miraculous deliverance by God. It celebrates the reversal from an impossible situation to a glorious triumph by God. Jesus saw this as a prefiguring of his own life, death, and resurrection.

Jesus was the stone that the insiders to God’s kingdom would reject. But God would be able to redeem this rejection by opening the gates wide so that former outsiders might become insiders. God would use the death of his son to extend grace and mercy to the nations. Does this mean that the former insiders were rejected permanently? Of course not. Instead, Jesus tells this story to issue an opportunity for insiders to realign with God’s values while at the same time envisioning the time for the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. This is good news for outsiders and insiders alike.

Conclusion
The takeaways from Jesus’ words are straightforward. First, marvel at the expansive grace of God that desires to touch all men and women. Second, thank God for his patience in dealing with our stubbornness and wrong-headedness. Third, reflect soberly on the possibility that my actions may be acting against God’s mission regardless of my own opinion of my standing with God. Do not arrogantly assume that I am on God’s side. Last, recognize that God is radically for both insiders and outsiders and desires all who follow him to produce fruit for God’s kingdom.

Is it better to be an insider or an outsider? This is the wrong question, isn’t it? God welcomes both with open arms. God’s people exist to serve God’s mission faithfully and enthusiastically. Ideally, God calls us to extend his blessing and salvation to the nations. Insiders are the means by which outsiders become insiders. In the Kingdom, outsiders become insiders by turning to God. Likewise, insiders remain insiders not because of some entitlement or because of titles or a past history or a particular family tree, but through ongoing faithfulness.

If you feel close to God and consider yourself an insider and follower of Christ today, rejoice. But look into your heart and take a humility check. Am I still open to the new movements of God, or am I more like the chief priests and elders than I might care to admit? Am I producing fruit for God’s kingdom?

If on the other hand you are unsure of your relationship with God and feel more like at outsider and a seeker, you likewise should be of good cheer today. Jesus came to open the doors wide to bring in all who will respond to his grace and mercy. His vineyard bids you to enter!

Methods for Exodus (Methods in Biblical Interpretation) (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
. Pp. xiv + 254. Paperback. 978-0-521-71001-5. $24.99.

Methods for Exodus, edited by Thomas B. Dozeman, is the fourth volume in the series Methods in Biblical Interpretation. Earlier volumes include Methods for Luke (Methods in Biblical Interpretation)
; Methods for Matthew (Methods in Biblical Interpretation)
, and Methods for the Psalms, edited by Esther Marie Menn. The Methods in Biblical Interpretation series from Cambridge University Press seeks to introduce students and general readers of the Bible to six distinct hermeneutical approaches to the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Methods included ranged from traditional historical-critical “world behind the text” approaches to new “world in front of the text” methodologies influenced by the globalization and democratization of Biblical Studies. Each volume includes an introductory essay followed by six essays penned by a leading practitioner of a discrete interpretive method. Each essay introduces the student to a specific hermeneutical method by reviewing its history of development. The scholars then discuss each discrete method’s applicability to the given biblical book. Finally, the writers apply the methods to the same set of texts. By assigning each writer the same texts, Methods in Biblical Interpretation allows the reader to see the similarities and differences between the various approaches to the text. Moreover, the authors themselves attempt to point out connections between their approach and the exegetical lenses of others.

Dozeman’s Methods for Exodus offers a strong addition to the series. Dozeman is a leading scholar on the book of Exodus and has gathered an impressive band of exegetes to contribute to the volume. Dennis T. Olson writes the chapter on “Literary and Rhetorical Criticism.” Kenton L. Sparks covers “Genre Criticism.” Suzanne Boorer discusses “Source and Redaction Criticism.” Jorge Pixley describes “Liberation Criticism.” Naomi Steinberg illustrates “Feminist Criticim.” Gale A. Yee proffers an introduction to “Postcolonial Biblicial Criticism.”

Dozeman’s introductory essay (pp. 1-12) sketches out the aims of the book. First, Methods for Exodus seeks to introduce the above six methodologies that help readers to understand the book of Exodus. Second, Methods for Exodus hopes to show the ways that these discrete approaches relate to one another in terms of similarities and differences. Toward this second end, Dozeman notes that the divide between the approaches turns on how one understands the authority of the book of Exodus. Traditional historical critical approaches locate authority in the “world behind the text” of its authors and reconstructed social setting. More recent ideological methodologies locate authority in the “world in front of the text” rooted in the social location of its modern readers. Dozeman argues that these approaches find common ground in that both “behind the text” and “in front of the text” methods reflect critically on the historical setting of the literature. Moreover certain flavors of historical critical methods such as Genre criticism recognize the role of the modern reader in creating meaning. Dozeman then moves to describe the content of the book of Exodus in broad-brush strokes. He divides the book of Exodus into two sections: 1:1–15:21 and 15:22–40:38. The first division narrates the conflict between God and Pharaoh over the service of Israel. The second division describes the means and manner in which God will be present with God’s people as they move toward the promised land of Canaan. Next, Dozeman introduces the two texts that will serve as the common text to explore the various methodologies used to study Exodus: Exod 1–2 and 19–20. Dozeman concludes his introduction by providing a synopsis of the remaining chapters.

Dennis Olson’s chapter “Literary and Rhetorical Criticism” (pp. 13–54) offers a brief history of the rise of “text-centered” and “reader-centered” approaches as they emerged against the more traditional “author-centered” focus of historical criticism. Olson concentrates principally on “text-centered” reading methods over against “reader-centered” methodologies that deploy literary/rhetorical techniques such as feminist. Olson as will be true of all of the authors in this volume offers a strong survey of the literature as represented by its best practitioners. Olson offers the clearest example of how to practice literary/rhetorical criticism by adopting the Phyllis Trible’s step-by-step outline from her seminal work Rhetorical Criticism: Context, Method, and the Book of Jonah (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994). By describing and adopting a clear-cut methodology, Olson’s chapter may be the most helpful for students because it can easily be appropriated into their own exegetical work.

Kenton Sparks’ essay on “Genre Criticism” (pp. 55–94) describes the emergence of the discipline as a corrective out of Form Criticism. The goal of Genre Criticism is to achieve reader competence in terms of understanding the verbal discourse of a given piece of literature. Reader competence implies that a reader recognizes how a given type of literature works and as well as the ability to understand it. The advance that genre criticism makes over traditional form criticism is the recognition that ideal types of literature do not exist. Rather readers group types of literature together in terms of common traits rather than in relationship to an ideal type or form. Sparks demonstrates the necessity of a close reading of the text in ways similar to the other methods in the book as well as the importance of extra-biblical comparative literature in attaining reader competency. Part of this competency as it relates to the book of Exodus is recognizing the diversity of interests and concerns embedded in the final form of the text.

Suzanne Boorer writes on “Source and Redaction Criticism” (pp. 95–130). This is the most traditional approach in this collection of essays. Boorer rehearses the history of source/redaction criticism including its interplay with form and traditio-historical methods. There is not much new ground broken in this essay but her review of the literature is probably the broadest and most helpful in the collection. The complexity and subjectivity of identifying discrete sources as well as the vastly different conclusions reached by competent scholars applying the method will remind the reader of the reason for the rise of the newer text and reader-centered hermeneutical approaches.

Jorge Pixley’s chapter on “Liberation Criticism” (pp. 131–162) is a lively and compelling read. Pixley is a leading and well-respected liberationist whose commentary on Exodus broke new ground in the field (On Exodus: A Liberationist Perspective. New York: Orbis Books, 1987). Pixley emphasizes the importance of the social location of the reader. He notes the irony and artificial nature of introducing a “method” to Western academics when it originally developed among poor and marginalized persons of faith living in the remote villages or in the urban slums of Latin America. Liberation theology reminds the reader that the reader’s context matters profoundly in interpretation. Pixley demonstrates that the book of Exodus is foundational for developing a theology of liberation. He argues that the prophets drew their liberationist and justice centered themes from the book of Exodus rather than creating these themes that are so central to the Torah.

Naomi Steinberg covers “Feminist Criticism” (pp. 163-192) well. Her introduction to the discipline is brief. She traces the rise of feminism among North American Anglo women and its spread to more marginalized groups in North America and around the world. She focuses the bulk of her chapter on illustrating a feminist reading of Exod 1–2 and 19–20. Her engagement with these common texts is the most thorough in the book and helps the reader to experience the range of interpretive options and the diversity within feminist criticism in terms of class, gender, and ethnicity. Steinberg also complies the most extensive bibliography in this volume.

In the final chapter, Gale Yee introduces “Postcolonial Biblical Criticism.” Her chapter spends a significant amount of space on introducing the philosophical roots of postcolonial theory. Postcolonial method is jargon heavy and readers encountering it for the first time may find themselves lost in the array of new vocabulary. Yee however is an able guide and demonstrates the powerful lens that postcolonial theory provides for illuminating new dimensions in the text of Exodus. She notes that Exodus may be read in support of both liberation and oppression. This leads her to remind her readers to ask two questions of their own interpretations: Whom does my interpretation help? Whom does it harm? Good questions indeed.

Each chapter concludes with a bibliography of key secondary resources for further study. Methods for Exodus also includes a Glossary, Name Index, and Scripture Index. The Glossary is particularly helpful. The various hermeneutical approaches introduce a plethora of specialized jargon into the English language. These can be bewildering to the beginning student. The Glossary gathers the most common terms together and offers a brief definition.

Methods for Exodus is an excellent resource for advanced exegetical courses in colleges and seminaries. Its stated target audience is students, scholars, and interested clergy. I think that this may be overly optimistic. This is a book best suited for advanced students and scholars. It is well written, but assumes a solid grounding in the current climate of biblical hermeneutics. Methods for Exodus does achieve its goal of illustrating how six different methodologies read the book of Exodus.

Brian D. Russell
Professor of Biblical Studies
Asbury Theological Seminary
Orlando, FL

The Sinai is the third explicit covenant in the Pentateuch. Several scholars, Frank Moore Cross and his student S. Dean McBride, Jr., have observed that five explicit covenants (Noah, Abraham, Sinai, Phinehus, and Moab) are embedded within the Pentateuch, which give these books an even greater interconnectedness. These five covenants form a chiastic structure with the Sinai covenant at the center:

A Noahic Covenant (Gen 9:9-17)

B Covenant Grant to Abraham (Gen 17:1-14, cf. Gen 15:1-21)

C Sinai Covenant (Exod 19:1-Num 10:10, esp. Exod 19:1-34:28)

B’ Covenant Grant to Phinehas (Num 25:11-13) – Ps 106:30-31

A’ Covenant in Moab (Deuteronomy, esp. 29:1-32:47)

The outer bracket (A and A’) focuses on the issue of stability. The Noahic covenant is with all living things and guarantees the stability of the heavens and earth. The covenant in Moab is made between God and Israel and serves to sustain Israel’s life in the land without Moses through the presence of God in the Torah. The inner bracket (B and B’) focuses on issues of land and priesthood. God’s land grant to Abraham guarantees Israel land whereas God’s grant to Phinehas (the savior of Israel at Baal-Peor) provides for a perpetual priesthood for Israel’s life in the land. The Pentateuch then centers on the Sinai pericope which focuses on Covenant and the institution of the proper worship of God.

Covenant is the rubric used by God to communicate his vision for God’s people’s life and work in the world. The idea of covenant is not unique to Israel. It is drawn from the wider Near Eastern culture of the day. The use of covenant is another example of the way that God incarnates himself into the culture as a means of communicating to humanity and redeeming discrete human cultures. God borrows an element common to a culture and uses it as a platform for communicating the divine will for humanity. Covenant teaches God’s people the true nature of reality—in particular the transcendence of God and the high value and worth of all human beings including women and other persons whom cultures tend to marginalize. At the center of the covenant’s portrait of God stands God’s holiness. The covenants also reveal God’s desire for men and women to live in an exclusive relationship with God rooted in trust and faithful obedience. God is holy and desires his people to likewise reflect his character in their corporate life together and in their engagement with the nations.

In particular the Sinai covenant and its recapitulation on the Plains of Moab in Deuteronomy offer God’s people a polity for shaping life according to God’s will. In Genesis 12:3, God called Abram to lead a family that existed as agents of blessing for the nations. The Torah as a whole details what this looks life. It is crucial to read the various laws, lore, and instructions for worship within the missiological framework provided in Genesis. The goal of the Sinai Covenant is not obedience, but the creation of a missional community that would reflect God’s character in the world, to the world, and for the world.

© 2011 Brian D. Russell