Proper 5: June 10, 2007.

1 Kings 17:8-16 [17-24] or 1 Kings 17:17-24

Psalm 46 or Psalm 30

Galatians 1:11-24

Luke 7:11-17

First Reading

When only the second half of 1 Kings 17 is read, some may not remember how God had sent Elijah to stay with the widow of Zarephath. She had trusted the prophet's promise and prepared a cake for him with the last of the meal and oil she had. She found, then, that the jar of meal and jug of oil continued to provide for her, her son, and Elijah. By her trust and by the word of the Lord through Elijah, they were all fed.

The story continues with a tragic turn. The widow's son becomes so ill that "there was no breath in him." The text does not say he has died but suggests he is very near death. This is a tragedy for the widow on a personal level and an economic level. She is bereft of her child and stripped of the remaining male member of her household. In the male-centered society of the ancient Near East, a widow without a male family member to protect her interests was among the most vulnerable of people. The widow blames Elijah for this misfortune, and the prophet raises the question of whether God is to blame. Elijah then prays for the child, and God restores his life.

From the perspective of the story, Elijah's power for healing is a sign of his authority as a representative of Yahweh. If the miracle of providing food wasn't sufficient, now the widow knows that the word of the Lord in Elijah's mouth "is truth." The reader also is given to see that it is the prophet on the margins of society, rather than the king occupying the throne, who is at the center of God's activity for the covenant people.

The reading from 1 Kings stands in the background of the account of Jesus raising the widow's son at Nain. Luke intends for the reader (like the villagers in 8:16) to recognize that Jesus is a prophet like Elijah yet also greater than Elijah. Elijah acted in response to the widow's complaint, but Jesus took the initiative in acting with compassion. Elijah restored a gravely ill child to health, but Jesus raised a son from death to life. Francois Bovon observes that "the story describes a meeting between a parade of life (Jesus and his disciples) and a parade of death (the dead man, his mother, and the grieving crowd)" (Luke 1: A Commentary of the Gospel of Luke 1:1-9:50 [Minneapolis: Fortress], 267). With this powerful act of kindness, Jesus reveals that he is truly Lord of life.

Paul's tone seems defensive as he begins his letter to the community of believers in Galatia. After having expressed deep concern for them (that they are turning to a "different" gospel, which is in fact no gospel at all), Paul writes at length about how he received the gospel message and how he has proclaimed it. Paul asserts that he did not receive the gospel message from any human source but by revelation from God. He describes his past as a persecutor of the church and the break he has made with that past. Paul identifies his God-given purpose in life as proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles. He mentions meeting Peter and James but emphasizes his relative independence from the church authorities in Jerusalem.

The lectionary skips over the rest of what Paul has to say about his relationship with Peter and the Jerusalem church. For balance, it may be helpful to note that Paul desires to picture that relationship in as positive a manner as possible. They have given their blessing to his mission to the Gentiles and have not contradicted his understanding that the law concerning circumcision does not apply to Gentiles. Yet Paul also reports that when the gospel was at stake he was not shy about confronting what he saw as hypocrisy, even on the part of a leader of the stature of Peter.

Pastoral Reflection

The readings from Luke and 1 Kings describe a gift of life restored. The young men from Zarephath and Nain were brought back from the brink and from beyond the brink of death. Each had received life as a gift from God the Creator. Each received life again when a "great prophet" of God raised them up. The mothers also received their lives back with the return of their sons.

In the verses that follow the Luke reading, Jesus makes it clear that giving life again is part of his job description as Lord and Savior. When some of John the Baptist's disciples asked Jesus if he were "the one," Jesus answers by describing his ministry in terms that echo a number of the beautiful promise passages of Isaiah. Jesus is giving people life again. The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised. Of course, for the young men of Zarephath and Nain, as for their mothers, this gift of life again was temporary. The time would come when each would reach the end of his or her natural life. But this amazing gift of life again is a sign. For Elijah, it was a sign of his authority. For Jesus, it is that and more. It is also a sign of the great work of new life he will accomplish for the whole creation through his cross and empty tomb. Luke hints at as much by his use of the word "rise."

The preacher might ponder what the young men from Zarephath and Nain did with their lives. Did they marry? Did they have children? How did they live the rest of their lives? Did they sense that there was something inexpressibly precious about the extra time they had been given? Of course that raises the question of what we choose to do with the gift of life God has given us. We receive that gift at birth and receive it again in baptism. In Christ we receive a gift of life that is defined by forgiveness. There is no condemnation for the one who lives a new life in Christ, a life characterized by freedom. We are set free from every entanglement so that we might live the life we were meant to have.

It is worth noticing what the apostle Paul did with his new life. The preacher needs to be careful with Paul's example, since he may appear to people as more of an example of "in-church" Christian ministry rather than an example of daily discipleship in all of life. Yet there is something compelling about how he invested himself fully in the work he was convinced God had given him. He believed that from before birth God had called him and had set him aside to carry the message of Jesus to the Gentiles. After God revealed the gospel to him, Paul made a dramatic break with his earlier life. The road ahead could only be a new road.

The preacher may reflect with the congregation on what road God has opened--for each person individually and for the believing community together. Having received a gift of new life that is inexpressibly precious, how should we use it? If the purpose of our lives is to love God with our whole heart and love our neighbor as ourselves, what great work of love will we give ourselves to? AJC