4 Epiphany B

4 Epiphany B

Transcribed from a sermon

By Valerie Ann Hart

At St. Barnabas Episcopal Church

January 29, 2012

Mark 1:21-28

Psalm 111

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

I wonder what it was about Jesus that touched the people in Capernaum. Mark writes that they said that he spoke with authority, not like the scribes.” I wonder what that means.

Now I understand that the scribes back then were a lot like my college professors when I was getting my Ph.D. When I was working on m Ph.D. anything you wrote had to be footnoted. You couldn’t write your own idea. It had to be an idea that somebody else had written and then you applied it. I am sure you have read that sort of thing or been to a lecture where someone is analyzing what someone who lived twenty years ago thought about what someone who lived a hundred years ago had to say about something that was written five hundred years ago. You’ve been there. You know. Today’s version of that is, “And this is my first slide of 123, let me read it to you. ‘Slide Number 1’.” That is how the scribes taught. 

Capernaum was not a backwater, it was right on the intersection of two major trade routes, and the synagogue in Capernaum was famous for the scholarly work that was done there. In fact it is believed that much of the Kabala was written in Capernaum. So the scribes there were intelligent and well known, but also had a style of looking to others rather that speaking for themselves. Jesus was different. They said he spoke with authority.

I wonder if what he spoke with might have been described as wisdom. Wisdom is an odd thing. It is like great art. You can’t really describe what it is, but you know it when you see it. The same is true of wisdom. It is hard to say exactly what wisdom is, but when someone is speaking or writing with wisdom we recognize it. Think in your life, did you know anyone that you would say was wise? It could have been a teacher, it might have been a grand parent or an aunt or a neighbor. It could have been a book you read or someone you saw on TV, but somehow you just sensed that that person spoke with wisdom.

We know that wisdom is more than intelligence. We have all met very intelligent people who aren’t very wise. It is that absent minded professor kind of thing. People who you know have brilliant minds but somehow they haven’t translated that brilliance into how they interact with the world.

We also know or have known people who have a lot of knowledge. They know a lot about a lot of things but we wouldn’t call them wise. In fact that is what Paul says in the reading today. That sometimes people with some knowledge who think they know say too much.

The way Paul describes it is so beautiful and accurate - he says that knowledge puffs up. What a great way to describe someone who has knowledge but doesn’t apply any wisdom to it, as being puffed up.

In this letter he is probably talking about people who were part of the Christian movement called Gnostics. Gnostic is spelled with a Gn and it comes from the Greek word to know. The Gnostics believed that there were some things that some people knew that other people didn’t know. And of course the Gnostics believed that they were the ones who knew. There are people around that might described as Gnostics today, but I won’t decide who they might be. I’ll leave that to you.

The Gnostics believed, they were certain, that there were no idols so there was no problem in eating meat offered to an idol. You have to remember that back at that time animal sacrifice was the source of meat. You didn’t just go and kill an animal and eat it, it was always sacrificed to something. So, they said that there is nothing wrong with eating meat sacrificed to an idol because idols don’t exist. Paul writes, “Yes, you are right. Idols don’t exist, and so eating meat sacrificed to an idol is really not a big deal. But, some people don’t know that . Some people still think that idols are relevant. So if they see you, someone who is so knowledgeable (Paul had a wonderful way of writing letters) eating food sacrificed to an idol it might hurt them. They might feel that it is okay to worship an idol.” So knowledge can puff up.

But where does wisdom come from? If wisdom isn’t intelligence, if wisdom isn’t knowing a lot, what is wisdom? And how do we recognize it?

The psalm for today says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” But what does fear of the Lord mean? Now there are many books and articles written about the words that are translated from Hebrew and Greek into fear and exactly what they mean. They all have an aspect of the kind of fear you might have if there was a lion that escaped from the zoo or you knew that there was a problem and there was someone who was dangerous out in the world. There is an aspect of that kind of fear but it is much more than that. If you look at the psalm where it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom it also says, “Great is the Lord.” So there is a fear of the Lord because God is so great. Then it says in the fourth verse that God is gracious and full of compassion. We don’t need to be afraid of something that is gracious and full of compassion. Later it says that he gives food to those who fear him. We have to assume if he gives food to those who fear him it is not those who are scared of him. There must be something more. And then in the seventh verse it says that the works of his hand are faithfulness and justice. Done with truth and equity. So this fear of the Lord is much more than being afraid of him, it is about respecting God. Acknowledging how great and powerful and wonderful God is.

 One of the places where the fear of the Lord is talked about is with Abraham. Paul at one point wrote that Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son was seen as righteousness because of his fear of the Lord. In that case fear of the Lord was doing what God wanted him to do, even when it wasn’t something that he particularly wanted to do himself. And yet Abraham is described as a friend of God. He is called God’s friend. He is the only person who is described as God’s friend. God and Abraham had a particularly intimate and close friendship. So we can’t say that Abraham was afraid of the Lord. He had an intimate friendship with the Lord. So fear of the Lord has to do with not wanting to disappoint. Respect, revering, fearing the Lord. So that is the beginning of wisdom.

There is another thing to consider here. Where Paul says that knowledge puffs up, the next line he writes is, “love builds up.” So wisdom is not about knowledge or intelligence, but definitely has a lot to do with love, with relationship with God, with love for the people around you and love for God. We recognize wisdom, the wisdom that comes from a deep walk with God, a respect for God and a love for God and for people. That is what we see with wisdom. That is what we recognize in a wise person, and that is the wisdom that we should seek for ourselves.

4 Epiphany B Sermon

What does it mean that Jesus spoke with authority? What is wisdom? I explored these questions taking from the Gospel, Psalm and New Testament readings.

4 Epiphany B

Transcribed from a sermon

By Valerie Ann Hart

At St. Barnabas Episcopal Church

January 29, 2012

Mark 1:21-28

Psalm 111

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

I wonder what it was about Jesus that touched the people in Capernaum. Mark writes that they said that he spoke with authority, not like the scribes.” I wonder what that means.

Now I understand that the scribes back then were a lot like my college professors when I was getting my Ph.D. When I was working on m Ph.D. anything you wrote had to be footnoted. You couldn’t write your own idea. It had to be an idea that somebody else had written and then you applied it. I am sure you have read that sort of thing or been to a lecture where someone is analyzing what someone who lived twenty years ago thought about what someone who lived a hundred years ago had to say about something that was written five hundred years ago. You’ve been there. You know. Today’s version of that is, “And this is my first slide of 123, let me read it to you. ‘Slide Number 1’.” That is how the scribes taught. 

Now Capernaum was not a backwater, it was right on the intersection of two major trade routes, and the synagogue in Capernaum was famous for the scholarly work that was done there. In fact it is believed that much of the Kabala was written in Capernaum. So the scribes there were intelligent and well known, but also had a style of looking to others rather that speaking from themselves. Jesus was different. They said he spoke with authority.

I wonder if what he spoke with might have been described as wisdom. Wisdom is an odd thing. It is kind of like great art. You can’t really describe what it is, but you know it when you see it. The same is true of wisdom. It is hard to say exactly what wisdom is, but when someone is speaking or writing with wisdom we recognize it. Think in your life, did you know anyone that you would say was wise? It could have been a teacher, it might have been a grand parent or an aunt or a neighbor. It could have been a book you read or someone you saw on TV, but somehow you just sensed that that person spoke with wisdom.

Now we know that wisdom is more than intelligence. We have all met very intelligent people who aren’t very wise. It is that absent minded professor kind of thing. People who you know have brilliant minds but somehow they haven’t translated that brilliance into how they interact with the world.

We also know or have known people who have a lot of knowledge. They know a lot about a lot of things but we wouldn’t call them wise. In fact that is what Paul says in the reading today. That sometimes people with some knowledge who think they know say too much. Today we might say - TMI - too much information.

The way Paul describes it is so beautiful and accurate - he says that knowledge puffs up. What a great way to describe someone who takes their knowledge but doesn’t apply any wisdom to it, as being puffed up.

In this letter he is probably talking about people who were part of the Christian movement called Gnostics. Gnostic is spelled with a Gn and it comes from the Greek word to know. The Gnostics believed that there were some things that some people knew that other people didn’t know. And of course the Gnostics believed that they were the ones who knew. There are people around that might described as Gnostics today, but I won’t decide who they might be. I’ll leave that to you.

Now they believed, they were certain, that there were no idols so there was no problem in eating meat offered to an idol. You have to remember that back at that time animal sacrifice was the source of meat. You didn’t just go and kill an animal and eat it, it was always sacrificed to something. So, they said that there is nothing wrong with eating meat sacrificed to an idol because idols don’t exist. Paul writes, “Yes, you are right. Idols don’t exist, and so eating meat sacrificed to an idol is really not a big deal. But, some people don’t know that . Some people still think that idols are relevant. So if they see you, someone who is so knowledgeable (Paul had a wonderful way of writing letters) eating food sacrificed to an idol it might hurt them. They might feel that it is okay to worship an idol.” So knowledge can puff up.

But where does wisdom come from? If wisdom isn’t intelligence, if wisdom isn’t knowing a lot, what is wisdom? And how do we recognize it?

The psalm for today says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” But what does fear of the Lord mean? Now there are many books and articles written about the words that are translated from Hebrew and Greek into fear and exactly what they mean. They all have an aspect of the kind of fear you might have if there was a lion that escaped from the zoo or you knew that there was a problem and there was someone who was dangerous out in the world. There is an aspect of that kind of fear but it is much more than that. If you look at the psalm where it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom it also says, “Great is the Lord.” So there is a fear of the Lord because God is so great. Then it says in the fourth verse that God is gracious and full of compassion. We don’t need to be afraid of something that is gracious and full of compassion. Later it says that he gives food to those who fear him. We have to assume if he gives food to those who fear him it is not those who are scared of him. There must be something more. And then in the seventh verse it says that the works of his hand are faithfulness and justice. Done with truth and equity. So this fear of the Lord is much more than being afraid of him, it is about respecting God. Acknowledging how great and powerful and wonderful God is.

 One of the places where the fear of the Lord is talked about is with Abraham. Paul at one point wrote that Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son was seen as righteousness because of his fear of the Lord. In that case fear of the Lord was doing what God wanted him to do, even when it wasn’t something that he particularly wanted to do himself. And yet Abraham is described as a friend of God. He is called God’s friend. He is the only person who is described as God’s friend. God and Abraham had a particularly intimate and close friendship. So we can’t say that Abraham was afraid of the Lord. He had an intimate friendship with the Lord. So fear of the Lord has to do with not wanting to disappoint. Respect, revering, fearing the Lord. So that is the beginning of wisdom.

There is another thing to consider here. Where Paul says that knowledge puffs up, the next line he writes is, “love builds up.” So wisdom is not about knowledge or intelligence, but definitely has a lot to do with love, with relationship with God, with love for the people around you and love for God. We recognize wisdom, the wisdom that comes from a deep walk with God, a respect for God and a love for God and for people. That is what we see with wisdom. That is what we recognize in a wise person, and that is the wisdom that we should seek for ourselves.

Proper 12A sermon

Here is a sermon I gave back in 1996. The sermon I found on my computer was missing the last page, so I wrote what I think I probably said.
In this sermon I look at Solomon's choice of wisdom in relationship with the merchant who sold everything for the pearl of great price. By looking at the wisdom literature we can see that Jesus was picking up images from Job, Proverbs and Psalms.

Sermon

Proper 12 A

I Kings 3:5-12 & Matthew 13:31-33,44-49a

St Alban’s Episcopal Church, Brentwood CA

By Rev. Valerie Hart

7/28/96

         Remember when there was the big fire in the Oakland and Berkeley hills? On TV they interviewed people who had had to quickly leave their homes. They talked about what they took with them and what they had to leave behind. Some took pets, others pictures, others jewelry, some their financial records, others art work. I can remember thinking about what I would have taken. What in my home is really important to me? What do I value?

         We also seem to enjoy stories about a hero who gets a limited number of wishes, like Aladdin and his lamp. We can’t help but think about what wishes we would make. Would we make better choices than the person in the story? Instead of something immediate like riches, would we think to ask for something long lasting, like the ability to earn money, or a business that would produce income indefinitely. Would we foolishly ask harm to an enemy?  What is it that we truly want? The story of Solomon is similar. In a prophetic dream, Solomon is asked by God what one gift he wants. What would you ask for? How would you respond to God saying I will give you whatever you want? What is it that our hearts really long for? Solomon asked for an understanding mind so that he could be a wise king, able to discern between good and evil. That response pleased God. Would I be so wise as to ask for wisdom?

         In the Gospel reading today, Jesus presents two parables of people discovering and prizing something. In the first one, someone comes accidently upon a treasure in a field, and is so excited to have found this treasure that he sells all that he owns to buy the field. In the second story, a merchant has been actively searching for fine pearls, and when he finds one pearl of great value he sold all that he had and bought it. What could possibly be of enough value to sell everything we own in order to possess it? What is more valuable than any possession? What is it that we truly long for deep in our hearts?

         Jesus begins these parables with the introduction he often uses “the kingdom of heaven is like.” So there is something about the kingdom of heaven that is like finding a treasure of such great value that you give up everything else in order to possess it.

         Now we must remember that Jesus was well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures. He often alluded to material in them, and much of what he says is similar to a type of writing in what we call the Old Testament that is called the Wisdom Literature such as Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and many of the psalms. Does anything sound familiar in this statement from Job (ch28)?

12         "But where shall wisdom be found?

         And where is the place of understanding?

13         Mortals do not know the way to it,

         and it is not found in the land of the living.

14         The deep says, 'It is not in me,'

         and the sea says, 'It is not with me.'

15         It cannot be gotten for gold,

         and silver cannot be weighed out as its price.

16         It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

         in precious onyx or sapphire.

17         Gold and glass cannot equal it,

         nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18         No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;

         the price of wisdom is above pearls.

“The price of wisdom is above pearls” Could it be that the pearl of great value is wisdom? In Proverbs Ch 3 it states

13         Happy are those who find wisdom,

         and those who get understanding,

14         for her income is better than silver,

         and her revenue better than gold.

15         She is more precious than jewels,

         and nothing you desire can compare with her.

We can also assume that those who listened to Jesus also were familiar with the wisdom literature and probably made the association of the treasure and the pearl with wisdom. So, Jesus may be telling us to be like Solomon and choose Wisdom, to give up everything for Wisdom to value wisdom above all else.

         But what are these writers referring to when they say wisdom. It is not the kind of education and collection of facts that we might call smart or even wise, it has a much deeper and more spiritual meaning. Let me continue from Job

20         "Where then does wisdom come from?

         And where is the place of understanding?

23         "God understands the way to it,

         and he knows its place.

24         For he looks to the ends of the earth,

         and sees everything under the heavens.

25         When he gave to the wind its weight,

         and apportioned out the waters by measure;

26         when he made a decree for the rain,

         and a way for the thunderbolt;

27         then he saw it and declared it;

         he established it, and searched it out.

28         And he said to humankind,

         'Truly, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom;

         and to depart from evil is understanding.'"

Or from psalm 111

10         The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

         all those who practice it* have a good understanding.

         His praise endures forever.

Or

Proverbs 1

7         The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

         fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Or Proverbs

Ch 9

10         The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

         and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Or Proverbs

Ch 15

33         The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,

         and humility goes before honor.

Fear of the Lord, Love of God, Honor to God and to God’s teachings - That is Wisdom, and that is the Pearl of great value and that is the treasure found in a field.

         Let’s take a look again at these two parables of Jesus. In both cases the individual discovers something wonderful, one by accident, the other after a long search. Suppose you were living a normal life, not giving much thought to God, and then something happens quite unexpectedly, like a door opening you have an experience of the presence of the divine. What would you do? What would that experience be worth to you?

         Or suppose that after years of seeking God you have and experience where you have the sense of being asked what you wanted, and that you could choose anything. What would you choose? Would you make a choice you would celebrate or one that you would later regret?

         We have that choice right now. We have that choice each day. How do we spend our time, how do we invest our energy? How much of our time and energy is spent seeking out a deeper relationship with God? How much of our time and energy is spent seeking out material wealth, fame, respect and pleasure? Not that these are necessarily bad in and of themselves, but we need to ask what purpose do they serve? Do we work hard to make money in order to support our families and give to those in need, or are we making money just to hoard it? Rarely are thing purely black and white. Our motives are almost always mixed.

         Yet, we can ask ourselves if we are satisfied with the amount of time and energy we spend on seeking God’s wisdom. We can consider how much we are willing to pay for the pearl of great price. And we can decide to make a change.