THE BIBLE - TODAY’S TREASURE HUNT
Comment for Pentecost 24 - 19-11-06
1 Samuel 1: 4-20
This story of personal faith comes at the close of the period when the Israelites were settling in to the land of promise, about 1050 BCE. Hannah, a remarkable woman, pleads and bargains with God then receives and believes the gift of peace from Eli, the priest. When the child who becomes the prophet Samuel is born, she sees him as God’s gift of grace.
1 Samuel 2: 1-10
Read this prayer alongside that of Luke 1: 46-55, Mary’s song. Such prayer songs come from the heart of a people. They appeal to a Spiritual Power (God) who has special care for the poor, the weak, and all those who are pushed aside in the human struggle for survival. They give heart to those who protest the encroachment of power groupings and structures which dehumanise relationships.
Hebrews 10: 11-14, 19-25
The writer argues that Jesus accepted the cross of sacrifice as the fate of being human, and that this self-giving love has a timeless quality because it speaks to the heart of our spiritual need. Therefore the modern Christian, involved in a world tormented by anger, revenge and hate, can offer peace through acceptance and forgiveness. (Note the work of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.)
Mark 13: 1-8
The disciples are walking around like tourists admiring “the temple as refurbished by King Herod …… massive stones covered in gold leaf” (WLW 13-11-06, p58) Jesus claims that structures built on pride and political power would be tossed aside as conflicts developed, and these stones were overturned in 70 CE. In this passage Jesus predicts human conflicts, like the turbulence of this earth’s crust, will erupt when the spiritual power of God’s peace is ignored.
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