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

Proper 25 [30]/Year C 281
read: “Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has
become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven . . . by which we must be saved.”
Here is the hermeneutical issue: Is Acts self-contradictory or do we
usually read Acts 4:11–12 wrongly? We suggest the latter, noting that the
name “Jesus” means “YHWH saves.” If we remember this, then Acts is
not self-contradictory. But then neither does Acts 4:11–12 limit salvation
to those who call on the name of Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 14:7–10, 19–22 or Sirach 35:12–17* (Paired)
The readings from Jeremiah and Sirach occur in the lectionary as alternates.
While Jeremiah helps interpret Mark 9:30–37, the reading from Sirach
coordinates a little better with Luke 18:1–8, the parable of the Widow
and the Unjust Judge (Proper 24/Year C). On Jeremiah and Sirach, see
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany/Year C, and Proper 17/Year C.
Jeremiah 14:1–6 pictures Judah in drought. The ground is cracked;
cisterns are empty; farmers are dismayed; the doe forsakes the newborn
fawn because there is no grass; the wild asses pant because there is no
vegetation. The Judahites believed that God had brought the drought
upon them. Acknowledging that their iniquities testify against them,
they pray for God to end the drought “for your name’s sake,” that is, to
restore God’s reputation by ending their plight (14:7, 9b). They say God
acts like a stranger who is in the land but is not a member of the community.
God is like a traveler asleep for the night (14:8). God behaves as
if confused, like a helpless warrior (14:9a). God replies that God will not
accept them and will punish them because they “have not restrained their
feet” (14:10).
The people pray again in Jeremiah 14:19–22, asking in anguish whether
God has rejected and loathed Judah. They seek peace and healing but find
terror (14:19). They acknowledge their wickedness and plead for God not
to spurn them. By ignoring them, they claim, God dishonors God’s name
and breaks covenant (14:20–21). They admit that only God and not the
idols can give rain, and set their hope on God (14:22). Some commentators
think that their remarks do not come from the deepest reaches of the
heart and that they are not fully repentant.
This text raises two immediate issues for the preacher. First, some people
today believe that God sends particular natural disasters upon communities.
The preacher needs to point out that while many people in
antiquity believed that, few theologians today agree. While the human