Text Study for the Eight Sunday after

Epiphany
The Rev. Joseph Winston
Feburary 27, 2011

Commentary
Isaiah 49:8-16a
The prophet brings words of hope to the L ORD’s people. Not only has He been
faithful in the past but He promises that this love will continue tomorrow. While
the poetic language contained in this section has overtones of a time to come,
it also speaks of a definite future when the people will be fed directly from the
L ORD’s granary and His people will be given drink from the fresh springs. The
only response demanded by the L ORD is song. Knowing that they cannot believe
their ears, the prophet uses the images of a nursing mother as one who cannot
forget her child and a person that has a permanent record engraved on their hands.
Isaiah 49:8 on a day of salvation – On a certain day, the L ORD gave the people a
promise of both helping them along with giving them property.
Isaiah 49:9 saying to the prisoners, “Come out,” – To those who are bound by
the world or others, the L ORD frees.
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.” – To all the individuals
who have been placed out of sight where no one remembers them, come out
and be seen by all.
Isaiah 49:10 they shall not hunger or thirst – God promises the people that they
will be given what they need to survive in the world.
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down – This salvation in-
cludes shelter from the elements.

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 Isaiah 49:11 And I will turn all my mountains into a road, and my highways shall
be raised up. – God will help the people move from one area of the world to
the other by making the paths level. One hopes that this act of road making
does not follow the governments of this world that takes from one so that
others benefit.

Isaiah 49:12 these shall come from far away – The L ORD’s work brings together
people from all over. One reading of this it the calling of the Gentiles to join
the the L ORD’s salvation.

Isaiah 49:13 Sing for joy – All of creation will praise God by singing.

Isaiah 49:14 my L ORD has forgotten me – A portion of the people thinks that
God no longer remembers them. This reality seems to be a constant fact.

Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her nursing child – The author uses a rhetorical
approach and answers both this question and the one following as, “No.”
Even these may forget – Old age and death rob us of our memories and of
our ability to love.

Isaiah 49:16a I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands – The names of the
people have been written on God’s hands. As long as the L ORD lives, He
cannot forget His people.

Psalm 131
This short psalm is recited when one goes up to the temple. It declares for all to
hear the righteousness found in the mouth of the speaker. His peace is seen in his
position in life and this calms him down, like a mother does for a child. This way
of life should lead the people to trust in the L ORD.

Psalm 131:1 my eyes are not raised too high – With honest modesty in his voice,
the psalmist tells us that he knows his place in life.

Psalm 131:2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its
mother – A special bond between mother and child is broken forever when
the child no longer nurses. The often abrupt change is disheartening to the
child who does not understand why the breast is no longer offered. After
awhile, the fussing and crying stops and the child moves on.

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 Psalm 131:3 hope in the L ORD – The imagery abruptly shifts to Israel and their
future. It seems that they are no longer to focus on what happened in the
past but to recall the faithfulness of the L ORD yesterday and that this will
continue today also.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5
In this section, Paul’s main topic is identifying the worthy judge. This One at the
end of time will dispense judgment on all. Therefore, any decisions made on one’s
worth before this time are premature.

1 Corinthians 4:1 servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries – Paul

writes that the Christian community should be seen as those people who do
the work of the L ORD and the ones who take care of the mysteries of God.
A mystery is not something that can be explained. That would make the
mystery only a riddle. Instead, a mystery is a reality that no matter how
hard you try to understand it always slips out of your grasp.
This basic understanding of mystery is something that the Church must re-
cover. We do not know the hows and whys of many things and we should
not be explained to say exactly that, “I do not know.”
1 Corinthians 4:2 stewards that they be found trustworthy. Just like any other
manager, those who look after the L ORD must have a certain level of relia-
bility.
1 Corinthians 4:3 a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any
human court – Paul is starting the argument that his actions cannot be mea-
sured against what others are doing.
1 Corinthians 4:4 I am not aware of anything against myself – By covering all
the bases, Paul tells us his conscience is clear.
It is the Lord who judges me. – The conclusion that Paul draws is that God
is the only One who pronounces judgement. This happens on the “last day”
when the Lord evaluates the progress of His creation.
While this final statement by Paul is technically correct, it is the Lord who
gives the final Word today out of time. This Word of absolution and judge-
ment is often mediated through human institutions. The way Moses sets up
the judges provides a clear example of this.

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 1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before
the Lord comes – Paul wants everything to wait until the end time, which he
expects to happen within his lifetime.

Matthew 6:24-34
Our Gospel lesson today should bring to everyone a sense of déjà vu. We have
been here before and we know what will happen. More precisely, Jesus has de-
signed this message to stir up feelings about a place, a person, and a present.
The clue to the location is given in the name traditionally assigned to the teach-
ings of Jesus found in the Gospel according to St. Matthew in chapters five through
seven. We call this portion of the Bible the “Sermon on the Mount” because Jesus
went up on a mountain to teach His followers (Matthew 5:2).
Now, many people from the Old Testament are associated with mountains.
Noah’s ark landed on a mountain (Genesis 8:4), Lot and his daughters escaped
to the mountains after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:30),
Abraham took his son Isaac to a mountain for a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-19), and
Elijah heard the Lord’s small still voice on a mountain (1 Kings 19:11-12) are but
a few examples of individuals and mountains. But the most well-known and the
most important person associated with mountains in the Old Testament has to be
Moses. The burning bush that Moses saw was located on a mountain (Exodus 3:1-
2) and God gave the Law to Moses on a mountain (Exodus 20:1 and following.)
Just like with the list of people connected with mountains in the Old Tes-
tament, the Bible provides us with many different activities that took place on
mountains such as Moses staying with God for forty days and nights (Exodus
24:18) and Solomon building the temple on a Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:2).
Out of all of these situations in the Old Testament, the most significant situation
has to be the giving of the Law (Exodus 20:1 and following).
The setting the sermon on a mountain combined with the familiar image of
Moses receiving the Law from God should tell us what is happening in today’s
Gospel lesson. Jesus is presenting us with the Law. Be careful however! Jesus is
not abolishing or even changing God’s Law given to Moses. We know this since
Jesus stated earlier in His sermon that the Law continued. Instead, in this portion
of the “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus is explaining to us how we are to apply the
great commandment to love God to everyone we encounter.
We hear this argument in the opening statement from Jesus that makes. No one
can evenly divide their attention between two competing interests (Mark 6:24).

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Eventually, something will have to give. What happens next is just as obvious.
One side will win and the other side will loose.
In order to drive this point home, Jesus lists all the current concerns of the
day: wealth, life, food, health and clothing. He then tells us that none of these
things can be more important than God. If you are going after the brass ring, “Go
for it,” Jesus says. Just do not be surprised when God is not there with you. You
have left God behind. The pursuit of the good life does the exact same thing. You
have gone to a place where God is not interested in going. Your ability to put the
best food and drink on the table does not impress Jesus nor does your concern
about any aspect of your health. If you want to worry about looking your best,
then Jesus tells you, “Do whatever it takes.” Simply remember that God never
uses appearances to measure the quality of a life.

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters – This is another way to look at the
“first” commandment. “You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus
20:3 (RSV)
wealth – The word translated by the NRSV as wealth is from μαμωνᾶς. The
primary way that Hebrew and Aramaic texts talk about “wealth, money, or
property” is through the use of the Greek μαμωνᾶς.1 In these situations the
word’s meaning is taken from trust as in to trust something.2 This is the way
our modern financial system works. You hope that the concept of money is
enough for you to purchase some item in the marketplace. Others see the
Greek μαμωνᾶς as something that provides nourishment.3

Matthew 6:25 do not worry about your life – If you focus on what is happening
around you, what naturally occurs is that you remove your eye from God.
Jesus expounds on this concept in this verse and those following.

Matthew 6:26 Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? – The
answer to these two questions is, “Yes.” Now that this important detail has
been settled, what remains is identifying what is really important.

Matthew 6:27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of
life? – Obviously, there are some things that are outside of our control.
1
Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.; Idem, editor, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1, Sacra Pagina
Series, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991), p. 101.
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.

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 The Greek for “span of life” is τὴν ἡλικίαν αὐτοῦ πῆχυν. ῾Ηλικία means
either age or height and πῆχυς is the length of a forearm.4 Taken together it
can mean the addition of a unit of measure to your height or the extra time
given to your life.
Matthew 6:28 Consider the lilies of the field – The appeal to beauty found in
nature shows that form and shape do attract humans.
Matthew 6:29 Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these – The
limits of the rich and powerful exist too. However, the Old Testament does
not ever describe Solomon’s clothing.5
Matthew 6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today
and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you –
you of little faith? – This is an argument of the lesser to the greater. Jesus
asserts that if God provides what is needed in the world and even bestows
it with beauty, then the same gifts will be given to humanity. The unspoken
issue that this line of reasoning does not address is those who do not have
what is needed for life.
Matthew 6:31 Therefore do not worry – The logical conclusion from this way of
thinking is that God is in charge and those everyday needs will be given to
you.
Matthew 6:32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things – This is
another way to tell the difference between those who follow the Lord and
those who do not.
Matthew 6:33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness – The
priority in life needs to be attended to the Lord’s way of life.
Matthew 6:34 So do not worry – Given a benevolent dictator, the proper approach
to life trusting in the gifts from above.

References
Harrington, S.J., Daniel J.; Idem, editor, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1, Sacra
Pagina Series, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991).
4
Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew, p. 102.
5
Ibid.