Proper 28: November 18, 2007.

Malachi 4:1-2a

Psalm 98

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Luke 21:5-19

I remember Eric, a tired old man whose dying days I closely attended in the early weeks of my pastoral ministry. "Too late, too late," he would repeat without explanation. I never fathomed the depth or significance of his despair, because he would not or could not name the regret he grieved on his death bed. I could only gather that he had waited too long. Opportunities to do and be what the depth of his soul required of him had been missed. It was a sad scene, despite my attempts to console this baptized child of God. He felt he had squandered his soul somewhere amid the living of his days.

"By your endurance you will gain your souls," Jesus counsels in Luke 21:19. And so it is. Jesus turns us to ways we live and shape our lives in relation to God's faithfulness, ways that tear us from or move us deeper into the loving mercy of God who alone can preserve us.

At least three ways of squandering (and, conversely, gaining) your soul are evident in the readings: surrender to cynicism, sloth in doing the good, and silence in the face of resistance or persecution.

In the first reading, the prophet Malachi (literally, "my messenger") is troubled by the people's doubt of God's love (1:2-5), their refusal to honor God (1:6-14), and their despair and cynicism about God's justice (2:17-3:5; 3:13-15). Malachi carries out his ministry in a postexilic age. But the enthusiasm about rebuilding the temple, evident in the other prophets of the period, Haggai and Zechariah 1-8, has given way to routine disinterest. The people have slipped into a morally depleting disillusionment. Vitality has ebbed away. Temple worship is as sick as the animals offered in sacrifice (1:6-14). The priests are indulgent, ignorant, and venal (2:1-9). The population murmurs against God because the evil prosper and the arrogant are happy and always escape God's justice (2:17-3:5; 3:13-15).

The social situation dissipates souls. They waste away in apathy, convinced at heart that faithfulness is foolishness. Nothing matters, so why bother with faithful worship, loving sacrifice, or doing justice? What's the danger in dishonoring God with empty offerings and faithless marriages (2:10-16)? Faithfulness does not matter, say the cynical voices of the age.

But the Holy One comes with justice to those who honor God. They and their children will be spared, making them God's "special possession" (Mal 3:16-18). The prophet does not say that the nation of Israel shall be special to God. Only those who revere the Lord and think on God's name "shall be mine," the Lord says through the prophet (3:17).

The difference between those who serve the Lord and those who do not will be clear on the day when the sun of righteousness rises to shine on the people. The arrogant and evil will be swept away, burned like stubble, leaving neither root nor branch. But those who remain faithful amid the current malaise will rise to experience healing and joy (4:1-2). Their souls, not dissipated by the murmuring and cynicism of the age, will spring with life and vitality knowing the visitation of God's mercy and justice.

2 Thessalonians is typically considered post-Pauline by much contemporary scholarship. (See also the discussion of the second reading in Proper 27.) Eschatological expectations are a major concern in both 1 and 2 Thessalonians, but the two letters handle them differently.

In the first letter, the congregation does not seem preoccupied with the last things (5:1-3). Paul encourages them to be ready (5:4-11) and assures them that those who have died are not lost but have priority on the day of the Lord (4:13-18).

But 2 Thessalonians soundly disapproves of the apocalyptic enthusiasm that grips the church. Unlike the first letter, it does not encourage sound prophecy (1 Thess 5:19-20) but confronts false prophecy and its danger to community stability. In today's reading, the writer appeals to Christ's authority and to Paul's example of hard work during his days among them (3:6-9, 12). Those who are idle, refusing to work in light of the return of the Lord, are not living in accord with the tradition ("deposit," paradosis) of the faith Paul taught them (3:6).

The present is not a time for idleness. We, too, must not be consumed by one kind of enthusiasm or another (whether religious or secular). These upset community peace and distract us from work most useful for building up the faith and service of the Christian community. The reading speaks to a wide range of distractions present in church and society. These distractions include everything from the feverish apocalyptic speculations evident in the Left Behind series to the highly secularized enthusiasms of a society so sated by its affluence that it cannot hear the Spirit's call to do mercy and justice next door or around the globe. I also should not fail to mention the feverish busyness of congregational life that keeps bodies moving but does not engage human hearts with the transforming truth of the gospel.

Faithful lives and witness to God's reign of mercy and justice will produce enemies, even among friends and family. This is clear in Luke 21:5-19, especially vv. 12-16. Luke has heavily reworked his Markan source material (compare Mark 13:5ff.). A side-by-side comparison of the changes is beyond the scope of this discussion, but such a review in a volume of Gospel parallels is useful. Luke may or may not be using another source for this pericope, but it is clear that he seeks to bring this text within the scope of his theological vision.

"Do not follow them," Jesus says of those pretending to speak in his name and lead the people to premature expectation of the end times (21:8). This replaces Mark's assertion (13:6) that such voices will appear and "deceive many." Luke's revision of Mark continues in subsequent verses. "Do not panic," Jesus urges the faithful (Luke 21:9). Then Luke has Jesus describe a series of events that leads not to the end of all things (as in Mark 13:5ff.) but to the fall of the city of Jerusalem (Luke 21:5-7, 20-24), an event that would have already occurred by the time Luke wrote his Gospel.

This editing serves to heighten Jesus' reputation as a prophet. Luke is clear: Jesus' word can be trusted. Jerusalem has fallen as Jesus said it would, and you have seen it. This heightens Jesus' credibility about the return of the Son of Man in the verses that follow (21:25-38).

But Jesus' call for faithful testimony must not be lost amid apocalyptic images and speculation. As Jesus was led away (22:16) and handed over to Herod (23:6-12) and Pilate (23:1-5, 13-25) to make faithful testimony, so the disciples are to face "kings and governors" to do the same (Luke 21:12-13). They will bear witness before the seats of power (Acts 23:24, 26; 26:30) and to many all through Luke's second volume (Acts 3:13; 4:33; 5:32; 20:26; 26:22). Each time, Jesus keeps his promise to give words and wisdom so they can faithfully testify to the dawn of God's reign (Luke 21:15). The promise to provide such timely speech also occurs at Luke 12:11-12, where Jesus assures us that the Holy Spirit will teach disciples what to say at the time they need it. Hence, we need not worry but trust Jesus' promise (Luke 21:14-15)

Jesus' call is to endure in faithful testimony to the reign of God. Our words and deeds are not to flag in the face of resistance, betrayal, or the discouragement that settles over us amid difficult challenges. Our witness is Spirit-inspired and empowered, enabling us to endure that we may gain our souls (21:19). DLM