Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

1. Exodus is the most important tradition of Judaism:
In the US, we look at the declaration of independence and to the American Revolution as the formative
events of our country. We always refer to these events as the foundation of who we are as Americans
Exodus is the formative event for Judaism the starting point, when God freed the Israelites from slavery
in Egypt, led them to the Sinai, where they made a covenant with God. During the Exodus God
revealed himself to them as the only God, and they became his chosen people. Then God led them
through the desert to conquer the promised land. Judaism is based on that fundamental conviction.
Todays reading from Genesis is the story of Joseph provides the preliminary story, the prelude for the
Exodus. The story of Joseph explains how the Jews ended up in Egypt in the first place.
Over the next few Sundays we will be reading more about Joseph, how he rose to a position of power
in Egypt, how his brothers came to Egypt during a drought to look for food, how he eventually was
reconciled with his brothers, and how then his father and his whole clan then moved to Egypt, and
how, several generations later, they were enslaved by Pharaoh.
Then we will read the story of Moses who lead his people out of Egypt, made a covenant with God,
gave them their law and led them to the promised land.
We must remember that all these stories about the ancestors of the Jews were not written as historical
facts. They were oral traditions that were meant to 1) explain the Exodus to the Jews: that they were
the people chosen to be in a covenant with God to reveal to the world that there is only one God. And,
2) These stories were also crafted to teach them moral lessons.
2. When we read todays passage from Genesis the first impression is that these were rough
characters. They were not selected by God because they were model citizens, better than
anyone else. Would you want them as your neighbors?
Jacob played favorite among his children and was using Joseph to spy on his brothers.
Joseph was a spoiled brat and his ambition was to take over the leadership of the clan in spite of
the fact that he was the youngest and did not have the birthright to be chief.
The older brothers resented their kid brother Joseph and were so are jealous that they plotted to
kill him, and then decide to give him a break and to sell him into slavery and lied to their father
telling him that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. What a family!
 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Here are are some reflections on this passage:
a. The book of Genesis is one of the great literary masterpieces of antiquity. The Bible writes
were terrific story tellers. They knew how to put together a memorable story that would be
repeated from generation to generation.
b. One of the key moral lessons here is that God is not stopped by human shortcomings. All their
sins, all their scheming, the conspiracies and the crimes do not stop Gods plan.
c. The lesson about God that the Jews learned from these stories is that Yahweh, their God, was
the God of history. Yahweh took everything human beings did: the good, the bad, and the
indifferent and used it for the ultimate goal to create his own people and to reveal himself.
And this is also the main lesson for us today: history, the history of the world, the events that
shape the lives of nations are not merely the results of human actions. Humans can do their best
and sometimes their worst, but ultimately God takes everything we do and rules history. Our own
personal history is not merely the result of our actions and of what people of influence do to us.
God is the God of history with the capital H and of our personal history with the lower case h.
3. In the Gospel today we read about the miracle of Jesus walking on water
It is one of the most popular stories in the New Testament and walking on water has become
a popular expression meaning to be able to do the impossible.
But if we read this passage carefully, we find out that it is about two things
1) it is a story about faith: as long as Peter has faith, he too can walk on water, but as soon as starts
losing faith he begins to sink
Jesus would go on to say, if you believe, you will perform miracles greater than mine. We
have seen people of faith who started with nothing, but with faith and perseverance succeed
in doing wonderful things that were well beyond their capabilities.
If we trust in God and do our best, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. People of faith
have a way of inspiring others to join them, and that is how miracles can happen.
 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
2) But, in addition to teaching us about faith, this miracles shows Jesus mastery over the laws of
nature. God is not restricted by the laws of nature, but can perform miracles that brake the laws of
nature, such as walking on water, or bringing the dead back to life.
We are restricted by the laws of nature such as gravity and buoyancy. God, on the other hand, is
not restricted by them. God is the creator of the universe, and is not limited by this universe and
by its laws.
What we call a miracle is an event that breaks the laws of nature. Jesus miracles prove to his
disciples that God, the creator of the universe has not gone into retirement.
The scientists tell us about the big bang and evolution, but cant explain how this matter that
exploded and evolved got to be there in the first place. We believe that it was and still is created
by God. We are subject to the laws of nature and, at some point we will die. God is not limited
by nature. God rules nature, and will give immortality to those who die while believing in him.
So, the lesson from the first reading today is that God is the God of History. The lesson from the
Gospel reading today is that God is also the God of nature. God creates nature and rules history.
4. Pauls letter to the Romans focuses on faith: God reveals himself to human beings
in history and in nature. Our response to Gods revelation is faith
Paul tells the Romans, and us, that if we believe in God, if we respond to Gods revelation with
faith then it does not matter if we are Jews (the original chosen people) or Gentiles (the new
chosen people who believe in God and have been baptized)
Those who believe and call on Gods name will be saved. That means that those who believe
will have eternal life after death. How could there be life after death? Everything is possible to
the God who created nature, to the God who rules history. God can even undo death.
Our God is the God of history and the God of nature. We have been called to be a part of his
people. If we believe we will be saved, and we will achieve eternal life.