Almighty God, our redeemer, in our weakness we have failed
to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope in the world. Renew us
by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow your commands and proclaim
your reign of love; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen
Jeremiah 31:31-34
{31} The days are surely
coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel and the house of Judah. {32} It will not be like the
covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke,
though I was their husband, says the LORD. {33} But this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,
says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on
their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
{34} No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other,
"Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least
of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their
iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
31. a new covenant:
Jeremiah "knows of a new covenant which Yahweh will conclude with
Israel in place of the covenant they had broken (31:31ff.). To be sure
this will consist of doing the torah, "law," but will
differ from the old covenant in that people will know and perform the
will of God out of inner motivation. Forgiveness of sins is the basis
of this new covenant (v. 34)." [1] Israel…Judah: It is commonly assumed that "house of
Israel" is an addition to Jeremiah’s prophecy of a new covenant
with the "house of Judah." 32.the covenant I made with their ancestors…a covenant
which they broke: The covenant that will be replaced is the Sinai
covenant, the stipulations of which (the law) were broken by the
people. I was their husband, says the Lord: The word for husband here, b‘l,
"baal," properly means "lord," or
"owner." It was also used as a proper name for the Canaanite
god of fertility. There is probably a word play here suggesting the
reason why they broke the covenant.
33. I will put my law within them…write it on their hearts: Paul
uses similar imagery in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3. To write the law in their
hearts means to insert it into their minds and wills so that it
becomes a natural way of thinking and acting, not a requirement to be
fulfilled. I will be their God, and they shall be my people: Exodus 6:7;
Leviticus 26:3, 12," If you follow my
statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully…. I
will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my
people." This formula is used several times in Jeremiah, (11:4;
24:7; 32:38), and also in Ezekiel (11:20; 14:11;36:28; 37:23. 27). 34. I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more:
Repentance is not required. Yahweh forgives their sin so that they may
"know me, from the least of them to the greatest." The
covenant of Sinai was grounded in keeping the covenant law. The new
covenant is grounded in the sovereignty of Yahweh, so does what human
beings cannot do, forgive sins and regulate human behavior. Psalm 51:1-12 {1} Have mercy on me, O
God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant
mercy blot out my transgressions. {2} Wash me thoroughly from
my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. {3} For I know my
transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. {4} Against you,
you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that
you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass
judgment. {5} Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my
mother conceived me. {6} You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. {7} Purge me with
hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than
snow. {8} Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you
have crushed rejoice. {9} Hide your face from my sins, and blot
out all my iniquities. {10} Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me. {11} Do not cast me
away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
{12} Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a
willing spirit.
"The situation
to which the reader and petitioner of Psalm 51 is to go back is
reported in 2 Samuel 12…. H.J. Stoebe correctly emphasizes: ‘It
would now be completely wrong to simply discard such titles as
fictional inventions and later accretions to the text. On the
contrary, they carry considerable weight with us, for they are living
proof of how the community heard and understood; they are, so to say,
illustrations and, as such, evidence both of faith and of first
interpretation.’" [3] 1. steadfast love…mercy: These are qualities of the covenant
God, which can be depended on. 1-3. transgressions…iniquity…sin: Three words for sin:
"transgression", rebellion against Yahweh;
"iniquity", intentions contrary to Yahweh’s will;
"sin"; to fail or fall short. wash me…cleanse me: "In the background here, without
question, there are procedures of cultic cleansing—acts of cultic
lustration ‘in which the penitent let himself be bathed or he
himself washed himself and his clothes, while at the same time
forgiveness of sins was pronounced over him.’" [4] 4. Against you, you alone, have I sinned: David confessed,
"I have sinned against the Lord," 2 Samuel 12:13. 5. I was born guilty: "The petitioner wants to say that
the primordial cause, the root cause of my existence, is interwoven
with corruption…. Statements of this kind in the OT are to be
understood neither as genetically caused nor one-sidedly moral or
sexist, nor as having a didactic tendency. Rather, in the final
analysis this is a matter of shedding light in the presence of Yahweh
on the final depths and basic foundations of human existence. The
total depravity that is determinative for humans from the beginning is
here acknowledged (Gen. 8:21; Job 14:4; 15:14f.; 25:4; Ps. 143:2; John
3:6)." [5] 6. teach me wisdom: "…the insight into the hidden depths
of the degeneracy of guilt is not the result of human contemplation,
but a gift of divine communication and revelation." [6] 7. hyssop: "When the singer in v. 7 prays for purgation
‘with hyssop,’ rituals of cleansing of the cultic site are being
referred to." [7] 8. bones you have crushed: The petitioner’s bones are broken.
But the psalmist does not pray for healing, only for forgiveness. 9: The singer prays that Yahweh will cover his/her sin and
guilt. 10. Create in me: This is the point of contact with the first
lesson in which Yahweh says, "I will put my law within them, and
I will write it on their hearts." Only God can create a new heart
filled with a spirit of righteousness. 11-12: The psalmist asks not to be separated from God, but
rather restored and renewed. Or Psalm 119:9-16 {9) How can young people
keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word. {10} With
my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments.
{11} I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin
against you. {12} Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your
statutes. {13} With my lips I declare all the ordinances of
your mouth. {14} I delight in the way of your decrees as much
as in all riches. {15} I will meditate on your precepts, and
fix my eyes on your ways. {16} I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
In this section of
the Psalm every verse begins with the second letter of the Hebrew
alphabet, the letter ב, beth.
10: The Psalmist prays that God will not let him/her stray from
God’s commandments. 11.I treasure your word in my heart, so I may not sin
against you. The heart is the center of thought and will. This is
the point of contact with the first lesson. God’s word, treasured in
the psalmist’s heart, prevents sin. 12-16. statutes…ordinances…decrees…precepts…ways:
Synonyms for commandments in verse 10. The psalmist will exercise
him/her-self in learning, meditating on, and living by God’s
commandments, the law written on the heart.
Hebrews 5:5-10
{5} So also Christ did
not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by
the one who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten
you"; {6} as he says also in another place, "You are
a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." {7} In
the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications,
with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from
death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. {8} Although
he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; {9} and
having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation
for all who obey him, {10} having been designated by God a high
priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
5. the one who said to him:
That Jesus had been called the Son of God by God at his baptism and
again at the Transfiguration was apparently well enough known so that
"the one who said" that was known to be God. God’s
designation is in accordance with Psalm 2:7. 6. a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek:
Melchizedek was the priest of El Elyon, "God Most High
(Genesis 14:18)," and in Psalm 110:4 David is called "a
priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." "…Melchizedek,
according to the sacred courtly view, was the type, i.e., the
prototype and precursor of the Davidic dynasty…. Abraham …bowed to
Mechizedek and gave him a tithe…. Therefore the later Israelites and
Judeans have every reason to submit to Yahweh’s anointed and to give
him the tenth" [8] 7: The connection of verse 7 is with Jesus’ prayer in
Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-39 and parallels). While the Gospel tradition
suggests that Jesus’ prayer to escape death was not answered
positively, Hebrews sees the resurrection as the answer to Jesus’
prayer. "…this picture of Jesus at prayer cannot be simply
derived from any known tradition on the subject. The language of the
verse does, however, correspond quite closely to a traditional Jewish
ideal of a righteous person’s prayer, an ideal based on language in
the psalms and developed explicitly in Hellenistic Jewish
sources." [9] 8. "The force of the remark is that Jesus is not an
ordinary son, who might indeed be expected to learn from suffering
(12:4-11), but the eternal Son. Suffering and death are not, however,
incompatible with that status; they are, as Hebrews constantly
emphasizes, an essential part of the Son’s salvific work…. Jesus
is presented as one who ‘learns obedience’…in the midst of
suffering because that is what the addressees are called upon to do….
A fundamental affirmation of Hebrews is that Jesus was obedient to God’s
will from the start of his earthly career (10:5-10). Thus, he can
learn obedience only in the sense that he comes to appreciate fully
what conformity to God’s will means…. He can be…a model for them
[those to whom the letter was addressed] in their attempt to be
obedient to God’s will." [10]
John 12:20-33
{20} Now among those who
went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. {21} They
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him,
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus." {22} Philip went and
told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. {23} Jesus
answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be
glorified. {24} Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat
falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if
it dies, it bears much fruit. {25} Those who love their life
lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for
eternal life. {26} Whoever serves me must follow me, and where
I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father
will honor. {27} "Now my soul is troubled. And what should
I say--' Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason
that I have come to this hour. {28} Father, glorify your
name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it,
and I will glorify it again." {29} The crowd standing
there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An
angel has spoken to him." {30} Jesus answered, "This
voice has come for your sake, not for mine. {31} Now is the
judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven
out. {32} And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw
all people to myself." {33} He said this to indicate the
kind of death he was to die.
20. the festival: The Passover (John 20:1). some Greeks: "…not one strictly of the Greek race but
one of non-Jewish birth." [11] "…for the
Evangelist they represent the Greek world in general, and thus also
the pagan world." [12] 21-22: The request to see Jesus is passed from Philip to Andrew
until it reaches Jesus. 23-27: In John 2:4 Jesus tells his mother, "My time has
not yet come." In 7:30 and 8:20 Jesus' enemies cannot arrest him
because his hour has not yet come. Now Jesus declares that his
"hour" the time of his glorification has arrived. Jesus
acceptance of his hour, which will involve his death, becomes a model
for believers. 28: In response to Jesus’ request that God glorify His name,
a voice from heaven (audible to the crowd, verse 29) speaks for the
sake of those who heard it (verse 30). 31: What is happening is the judging of the world and the
driving out of the ruler of the world. This is what is really
going on, whatever it may seem to the unopened eye. 32. when I am lifted up…will draw all people to myself:
Jesus describes the purpose of his crucifixion in terms of his earlier
statement to Nicodemus (John 3:14). 33. the kind of death he was to die: One in which he was lifted
up, that is, crucifixion. "Lifting" in John also conveys the
idea of "exaltation." So, Jesus death is a crucifixion, but
it is also the glorification promised by the voice from heaven in
verse 28.
Reflection
"Jeremiah’s prophecy of the new covenant sets forth an
‘optimism of grace’ within the framework of the Mosaic covenant.
He envisions a ‘metastatic change’ in Israel, that is, a reform
through ‘a change in the constitution of being,’ with the result
that the torah will be implanted in the heart and there will be a
complete identity between man’s will and God’s will (see
24:7!)." [2]
Jesus, the Son of God, is our high
priest. He is the mediator of our eternal salvation. His death is the
means by which all people are brought into a new relationship with
God. Jeremiah proclaimed a new covenant, one in which God’s law
would be written in the hearts of his people. God will forgive our
sins, and we will find delight in his word. "The issue in the
text (Jeremiah 31) is not 'Jew/Christian,' but as the Gospel reading
for this Sunday has it, any newness worked through discontinuity
(death), so that both Jews and Christians face the nullification of
what is old for the sake of the newness of God." [16]
3] With One Voice (e.g. 762v), Hymnal Supplement 1991
(e.g. 725s) and LBW (e.g. 32).
E=Entrance; D=Hymn of the Day; I=First Lesson, P=Psalm;
II=Second Lesson; G=Gospel
95 --E--Glory Be to
196 --D--Praise the Lord,
353 --I--May We Your
701v --I--What Feast of
511 --P--Renew Me, O
732v --P--Create in Me
118 --II--Sing, My Tongue
105 --G--A Lamb Goes
658v --G--The Word of God
310, 742s, 344, 207
Prayers of
the People
[14] A: At the time of the Passover festival, the Greeks
gathered and wished to see Jesus. Their coming moved Jesus to speak of
his "glorification", his death. Like the seed that must die
to itself to bear fruit, a follower of Jesus must lose life to save
it. We pray, then, "In dying we live, O Christ," and
respond, C: Amen.
A: Let us pray for the impenitent and unbelieving.
P: By faithful proclamation from our pulpits, let your Spirit
penetrate deep into those who resist your word, O God. Make it known
that you desire truth in the secret heart. Convict, cleanse, and
counsel by your gospel. In dying we live, O Christ. C: Amen.
A: Let us intercede before our God on behalf of those who daily know
suffering
and death.
P: Bring caring angels to those who waste away in pain and anguish.
Grant gifted researchers to uncover necessary cures. Let the light of
hope come to those beset by AIDS, cancer, cholera, typhus, leprosy,
muscular dystrophy, M.S., Alzheimer's, and other destroyers of life
and health. In dying we live, O Christ. C: Amen.
A: Let us pray for our congregation and its workers.
P: Guiding Spirit, we commend to you our pastor(s), our counselors,
our staff, our committees, and all who pursue a worthy life for our
congregation. Let the gospel of Jesus the Christ, motivate and inspire
an effective outreach to the unenlightened and unpersuaded. In dying,
we live, O Christ. C: Amen.
A: Let us pray for those who prepare for membership in the church.
P: Revealing Spirit, open wide an understanding of forgiveness as
essential, relational, and continuing in all aspects of the Christian
walk. In dying, we live, O Christ. C: Amen.
Presider
or deacon
God made Christ a high priest for our salvation. As we prepare for the
paschal feast, let us earnestly offer prayers and supplications to God
through his Son. Deacon or other leader
For the holy catholic church throughout the world, sharing the death
and resurrection of Christ.
For N our bishop, for presbyters and deacons and all who
minister in Christ, and for all the holy people of God.
For NN our catechumen(s) and NN their sponsors.
For all the peoples of the earth and for mercy, justice, and peace.
For the sick and the suffering, and for all who are in danger or need.
For the dying and the dead.
For our families, friends, and companions, and for all those we love. Presider
Blessed are you, God of eternal life, who lifted up your Son from
death. Receive the prayers we offer this day for all who walk in
darkness, and make your people children of light. Glory to you for
ever and ever.
Notes [1] G. Johannes
Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren, eds., Theological Dictionary of the
Old Testament, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1975. Vol. II, Revised
Edition, p. 277. [2] Bernhard W.
Anderson, “Exodus and Covenant in Second Isaiah and Prophetic
Tradition,” Magnalia Dei The Mighty Acts of God: Essays on the
bible and Archaeology in Memory of G. Ernest Wright. (ed. By Frank
Moore Cross, Werner E. Lemke, and Patrick D. Miller, Jr. Garden City,
NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1976, p. 352. [3] Hans-Joachim
Kraus, Psalms 1-19: A Commentary, Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1988, p. 501. [4]Ibid.,
p. 502. [5] K. Condon, “The
Biblical Doctrine of Original Sin,” Irish Theological Quarterly
341967)20-36. [6] Kraus, Ibid.,
p. 504. [7]Ibid.,
p. 500. [8] Gerhard von
Rad, Genesis: A Commentary. London: SCM Press Ltd., 1956, p.
174-176. [9] Harold W.
Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle
to the Hebrews. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989, pp. 148f. [10]Ibid.,
p. 153. [11] C.K. Barrett,
The Gospel According to St. John: An Introduction with Commentary
and Notes on the Greek Text. London: S.P.C.K., 1962, p. 351. [12] Ernst
Haenchen, John 2: A Commentary on the Gospel of John Chapters 7-21.
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980, p. 96. [13]http://www.worship.ca/text/wpch0203.txt
[14]http://www.worship.on.ca/text/pray_b1.txt
[15]http://members.cox.net/oplater/prayer.htm [16] Walter Brueggemann, Charles B. Cousar, Beverly R.
Gaventa, James D. Newsome, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary
Commentary based on the NRSV. Year B. Louisville, Kentucky:
Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993, p. 232.