Weekly Homily
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Weekly HomilySunday, June 29, 2008 |
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Fr. Tim Fountain
I. Introduction
A. Prophets "speak for God."
B. Sometimes hard to understand because their message can speak of past and future events at the same time: they interpret their own times and open up the future.
C. They often criticize the "chosen people" and challenge them to keep their end of the covenant.
D. They reveal God’s greater purposes – "hope and a future."
II. Isaiah
A. Jerusalem, 740-700 BC
B. Historical situation: the threat of Assyrian invasion
C. Warns the people that their problems are caused by ignoring their Covenant with God: (Isaiah 1:4) Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.
D. He sees a vision of God in the Jerusalem Temple, and hears the heavenly beings singing a song we share with them at the altar today (Isaiah 6:3) And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." The prophets often receive their work in a vision.
E. He warns the people to rely on God, not on their own strategies and foreign alliances.
F. He gives a series of prophecies that will find fulfillment in Jesus Christ:
1. A Savior will come in a miraculous way, Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [God-with-us].
2. The Jews are "chosen" to become the source of God’s salvation of the whole world, Isaiah 51:4, Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.
3. The Savior will be a figure unlike any other human – he will share God’s nature. Isaiah 9:6, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
4. He will save us by bearing our sins (Isaiah 53:6), We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all... and he will suffer and die on our behalf (Isaiah 53:5), But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
III. Jeremiah
A. Jerusalem 626 – 587 BC
B. Historical situation: Babylonian invasion
C. God gave Jeremiah a purpose, which would not be easy (Jeremiah 1:4-8), The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
D. Jeremiah must tell the people that their injustice and idolatry have placed them beyond the possibility of repentance – God will let the Babylonians defeat them and take them into exile.
E. Jeremiah is treated terribly – branded a traitor and abused in various ways.
F. He expresses a series of "complaints" when it seems that God is not carrying out the messages Jeremiah is sent to deliver (Jeremiah 12:1), Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?
G. Despite the disaster that is coming, Jeremiah holds out two messages of hope:
1. God will always preserve a faithful group to carry out his purpose (Jeremiah 23:3), I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. This idea of the "faithful remnant" shows up in several of the prophets.
2. God promises a future in which there will be a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33-34), "But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day," says the Lord. "I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already," says the Lord. "And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins."
IV. Lamentation of Jeremiah
A. Describes the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s warnings, as Jerusalem becomes a desolate ghost town for 90 years.
V. Ezekiel
A. Babylon and Jerusalem, 582 – 570 BC
B. Historical situation: The Jews continue to suffer under Babylonian rule, but God begins to prepare them for restoration.
C. Much of the book is oracles of harsh judgment and reiteration of the peoples’ betrayal of their Covenant with God.
D. But the last part of the book (Chapters 34 – 48) contains hope for a new Israel.
1. Ezekiel, a prophet of God’s mercy and the hope of new life, is called "Son of Man." This is a title that Jesus will use of himself, to describe his work as "God in the flesh."
2. One of Ezekiel’s most memorable visions becomes a sign of the resurrection (Ezekiel 37), "Son of man, can these bones become living people again?" "O Sovereign Lord," I replied, "you alone know the answer to that." Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!
3. The book ends with an elaborate description of the new Jerusalem, which gives a vision of the Heavenly kingdom, There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side…Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing…And from that day the name of the city will be ‘The Lord Is There.’
VI. Daniel
A. Two theories: Babylon, around 600 BC OR Jerusalem, around 175 BC. Both positions have been argued over the centuries.
B. Historical situation: In either case, the Jews were under duress. They were trying to maintain their identity under Babylonian and then Persian rule (early date) or Greek rule (later date).
C. This book is closest in style to The Revelation. A type of writing called "apocalyptic" (which means to reveal or uncover). Much is expressed in symbols, numbers and hard-to-interpret visions.
D. Apocalyptic books encourage God’s people. There is terrible conflict, but God’s plan prevails in a final showdown with evil.
E. Daniel 3 contains one of the most popular stories among early Christians (often shows up in icons and wall paintings). Three faithful Jews are thrown into a furnace for refusing to worship an idol. When the King of Babylon looks in, he is surprised: "Look!" Nebuchadnezzar shouted. "I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!" The fourth is portrayed as an angel or as Christ himself in Christian art.
F. Daniel contains visions of the "end times."
1. In Chapter 7, he describes the reign of Christ: In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
2. In Chapter 12, he describes the final conflict and the resurrection of the saved: At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace. Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.
