Davison's Doodle

Paragraphs from SSCSJ

A few paragraphs from SSCSJ for the Lectionary texts for July 8, 2012.

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
This part of David’s ascent to the throne is not a pretty picture.  It makes the very clear point that all of the 12 tribes of Israel did not welcome David with open arms.  It was not a smooth transition of power.  The new king gains the throne only after the death of the rightful heir, Saul’s son.  David secures the stronghold of Jerusalem by violence, a move that foreshadows a characteristic of this king (and others) – he takes whatever he wants by force, without consideration of the harm he will cause others.  Yes, there’s no denying that the DH portrays David has having God’s favor, but even with its ideological “spin”, we are shown the faults of this man who will be remembered as the “greatest king of Israel”.  Like any human ruler, David is imperfect; he falls prey to the greed that often comes with the acquisition of absolute power.  Like too many human rulers, David often puts his own desires and interests ahead of the needs of the people who made him king and for whose well-being he is ultimately responsible.

2 Corinthians 12:2-10
In this week’s reading, Paul, speaking in third person, describes a mystical experience that many scholars argue is Paul talking about his own experience, while trying not to “boast.”  The Lectionary leaves out 12:1, “It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.”  Verses 2-4 are not explicitly identified as his Damascus road experience, but it is a plausible explanation for Paul’s “14 years ago” reference to the time when Saul became Paul.  You probably reference your baptism, or some other moment on your faith-map, as a “turning point” or marker in your journey.

Is Paul trying to create a parable in vv. 5-9?  These words seem like a reversal story.  There is strength in weakness?  Can you imagine “boasting” about your weaknesses in a job interview or in a support group?  What personal weakness would you put on a billboard in town or be willing to share with a Sunday school as a badge of honor?

Mark 6:1-13
Jesus turns his attention to the disciples, the twelve he would send on behalf of the good news of God to speak and heal in the name of God.  Unlike other traveling evangelists, philosophers, or healers of their time, they only take shoes and a walking staff, nothing else, and the emissaries of Jesus don’t stay in one place too long. Is it a stretch to consider that Jesus is doing two things here?  First, he is making a case for “relational” ministry.  Second, he is preparing the disciples for the variety of responses they will receive by carrying the good news of God that is countercultural.

What kind of social dislocation today challenges religious and secular power structures? Taking the good news of God seriously, as practiced and modeled by Jesus, has something to do with the purpose of ministry.  Suggesting an alternative way of being community will bring scrutiny to the voice, or voices, offering that alternative.