Commentary on the readings for Sunday 1 August 2010  Trinity 9  Numbers 10.35 - Chap 11 v 3 , Until this Chapter The Book of Numbers is concerned with preparations for the children of Israel to travel into the wilderness. In slow methodical detail, everything has to be constructed according to order. This is done to increase the sense of Holiness in what is to happen. It gives a liturgical and religious sense to the journey they about to make into the wilderness. It is all done with the intention of helping the people to hold together under a sense of Divine Authority. The same thing applies to the Church today - the Creeds and the Liturgy and all the services are designed to hold us together in a unity of spirit and a bond of peace.! The words of Moses in verses 35-36, which announce the breaking and making of the camp, are seen as ancient tradition and have an almost liturgical flavour. They reinforce the impression of the inauguration of the march as a liturgical procession with the holy God at the centre leading the faithful people through the wilderness. This impression of a totally obedient and holy people is, however, about to be shattered. What goes wrong for them is very similar to what goes wrong in the Church today. The people begin to complain about their misfortunes. Chapter 11 verse 1 some outlying parts of the camp are destroyed. In the same way we see a fretting away of our own Church into factions - reading on to verse 4, the 'rabble among them had a strong craving' and, as the journey continues, Moses needs to find new ways of being a good leader to hold them together. In our Church today, it is Rowan Williams who is in place of Moses and is tasked of finding a way to lead today's Church through the wilderness.   Epistle: 1 Corinthians Chapter 10 verses 1 - 13 Paul is using the history of Israel in this section. It is divided in half, a contrast between all the 'Israelites', who have experienced salvation (verses 1 to 5) and 'some of them' who rebel (verses 6 - 11). There are five positive and five negative examples with warnings against temptations (verses 12 - 13). The text is a traditional pattern - look what God has done, look how you've been blessed, look how bad you've been (Deut 32). The clause about the rock as Christ is a Pauline addition and the Baptism into Moses is used as an analogy for the Baptism of Christ. This expression of the black and the white of human behaviour is in frequent use and provides the substance of many passionate sermons calling on the people to repent and be Saved.   Gospel: Luke Chapter 16 - verses 1 - 9 Luke is very concerned about possessions - holding onto things. The parable of the Shrewd Steward reads as though it is an encouragement to copy what has happened in the banking world and falsify accounts or at least to present them in a way that they will not be properly understood! This is said to demonstrate an astuteness from which Christians can learn and make sure of their economic future! The parable may be read as irony - read on to verse 13 'you cannot serve God and wealth' and in verse 15 'you are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God'. There's more to life than making money; there's more to the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth than material prosperity. 'Consider the lilies'.   Please feel free to comment: leslie.virgo@tiscali.co.uk Click to return to 'Home Page'