000 Allen FMT (i-xxii) - The Presbyterian Leader

speaks directly about David fifty-seven times (twenty-four of which occur
in Luke–Acts, seventeen in Matthew, six in Mark, and ten elsewhere).
These passages typically use the figure of David in one of the following
ways. David is an authority who interprets aspects of Jewish tradition
(Rom. 4:6; 11:9; Heb. 4:7), who interprets Jesus or the Jesus movement
(e.g., Acts 1:16; 2:25–31; 4:25), and whose behavior helps justify that of
Jesus or his followers (e.g., Matt. 12:3; Mark 2:25; Luke 6:3). Yet Jesus is
a greater authority than David (e.g., Mark 12:36–37; Matt. 22:42–45;
Luke 20:42–44). David was an ancestor of Jesus, meaning that Jesus is successor
to David (e.g., Matt. 1:1, 6, 17; Luke 3:31). Some in the firstcentury
Jewish community envisioned a David-like warrior leader who
would overthrow Rome (e.g., Matt. 2:6—the only direct citation from
today’s lection in the New Testament; Mark 11:10). The New Testament
writers tend to define what it means to be David’s heir in terms of apocalyptic
eschatology: the coming realm of God succeeds Davidic rule (e.g.,
Luke 1:32; Acts 13:22–41; Rev. 3:7; 5:5; 22:16), which includes welcoming
Gentiles (e.g., Acts 15:6) and the end of Rome. From this latter perspective,
many of the New Testament authors are sympathetic to the
Deuteronomists, who eschewed conventional monarchy in favor of
prophetic leadership in covenantal community (see Proper 28/Year B).
Ezekiel 2:1–5* (Paired)
Proper 9 [14]/Year B 163
Ministers sometimes cast the roles of priest and prophet as opposites, as
if the priest is a comforter and the prophet a denouncer, but Ezekiel
exposes the falsehood of such a dichotomy. Ezekiel was both. Priests oversaw
regular community processes to help the community live in covenant
and blessing through such things as teaching Torah, overseeing the Temple,
and distributing resources for the poor. Judaism included rites to help
community members recognize violations of the covenant (including
priestly failures) and ways to make things right, and priests sometimes had
to confront people with their sin.
Prophets functioned in a role similar to quality control officers today,
monitoring community life and pointing out where the community was
failing to live up to its vocation and, as possible, calling for restorative
action. When the community failed to believe in the promises of God, the
prophet typically called for hope. The roles of priest and prophet existed
not in opposition but in complementarity.
Ezekiel helps listeners interpret why the exile took place. Probably
reflecting a loss of confidence in God and exiles, the prophet assures the