THE BIBLE – TODAY’S TREASURE HUNT
COMMENT FOR PENTECOST 13 – 03-09-06
The Song of Solomon 2: 8-13
This charming piece of Hebrew writing expresses the delights of human love as part of the created world. It comes straight out of the culture of the times before the Exile. We might also think of the Creator Spirit we call God, creative, creating and sustaining all of life.
Psalm 45: 1-2, 6-9
This is a Royal Wedding Song where the young King of Israel is to marry a Princess of Tyre probably about the ninth century BCE. It is a high spirited song of the court-style of the Ancient Orient. (Artur Weiser, Psalms, p.363) Verse 6 is a worry (is the king a God?), but verse 7 corrects this impression. This unique psalm was included by the ancient church because it could indicate the Christ and Church relationship as bridegroom and bride.
James 1: 17-27
James wants people to treasure the incredible gifts they have been given in Jesus. So now they have a new society of caring love for each other – Jew and Greek, master and slave, men and women all together in a loving relationship. He is anxious that this society will not be unravelled by petty irritants or gossip. He pleads with his readers to live for their fundamental truths rather than be influenced by the culture of the times.
Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
If fingers were used more often than forks when eating, we would say the Pharisees had a good point. Jesus, however, argues that to tick off what and how you eat are a set of cultural habits in order to comply with the rules of living. He wants a wholehearted response of the human spirit to the Eternal Spirit we call God. This is a loving response to God who is Love.
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