Job 23:1-9, 16-17

The Lectionary skips over the meat of this book and takes us to what could be just about anyone's lamentation. Job has been arguing with his friends about the meaning of what has befallen him and struggles with himself about whether God is merciless or just angry (see Chapter 9). Are the tragedies he is experiencing punishment for something, and if so, what? Should he get an answer to that, or is the suffering proof enough that he must have done something? In the preceding chapter, his friend Eliphaz seems to think that, and pleads with Job to turn his face to God and that will fix everything. It's a classic solution when logic and reasons have been exhausted. Still used today.

Some translations say "rebellious" instead of "bitter" in verse 2, indicating Job has rejected the evangelical style suggestion of Eliphaz. In verse 4, Job uses the word "case", as if he could have a reasonable discussion with God, if he could find him. Next week, we will skip over some more conversations with Job's pious friends, and hear what God has to say about all this. It's noteworthy that Job is the one who hears it, not the friends who gave him the pat advice about not asking questions and just doing his prayers.

Psalm 22:1-15

Psalm are a problem for me. I find them too righteous and steeped in tradition. They sometimes require a fair amount of research to find their context and interpret their references, like the "bulls of Bashan". But this one starts with a familiar phrase, uttered by Jesus on the cross, in at least one gospel anyway. Interesting that this is paired with Job. I think it shows how the Bible is full of recognitions of our doubts. What makes Jesus an endearing character is that he sometimes portrayed as not being sure if he is the Son of God. It's his "fully human" aspect.

Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

Amos, my main man. This is the central statement of this book, the one that explains why he is so mad and wants to tell us about the coming of God's wrath. I refer back to this passage from most of the other Amos entries.

The "gate" he refers to is probably the place of justice. This was just inside the entrance to town, a place where some sort of court might be held or public proclamations of justice would be made. In the time he is writing, there was great wealth disparity, and Amos seems to think this was due to some dishonesty. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, he doesn't know what to do about it except warn them bad things will happen and suggest that they be good instead of evil.

Hebrews 4:12-16

It's too much for me to cover, and there is a lot of argument about it, so I don't want to steer you wrong, but Hebrews is an important text for the theory that the narrative of Jesus was developed out of earlier Jewish texts. The high priest here sounds a lot like the one from Zechariah 6:11-15. He is also mentioned in Romans 8 and 2 Corinthians 4 and 1 Corinthians 8. But Hebrews doesn't cite its sources or explain them. The Lectionary probably chose this passage because it sticks to this theme of "tested as we are".

The final exam is not graded. You will fail, you will sin. What you get is grace. Grace is given freely, but you should seek it boldly. I don't think I can offer much of an explanation, it's better to have a discussion with others about it. For me, it's something to do with valuing life of any kind. We don't earn our existence, we just get it. But try just existing, just sitting, you'll find it's not that satisfying, at least not for long. To live, we need to engage, to be aware there will times when we will need something, and to work on meeting those needs and the needs of others.

Mark 10:17-31

Boy this one really makes things difficult. Job was told he just needed to turn to God. Hebrews tells us to go get some grace. Now Jesus tells us God's teachings have already been taught, but it's impossible to get to heaven. Riches are not a sign that you are in God's graces. In fact, if you have them, give them to the poor. Job grieved because of all the troubles visited upon him and this guy grieves because he has too much. Either way, considering how things turn out, it seems pretty clear that having stuff is not what God is about. Even when He does get to the good stuff, what you'll get if you leave your house and family, he throws in "with persecutions". Some translations put a comma there and I read it as if it is parenthetical, but I think the meaning is the same, you get the bad with the good. Life isn't fair. If you seek justice, someone is going to think they are getting slighted and they won't like you. That will probably be people who have power and don't want to give it up.

Even the ending verse, about the first and the last, leaves us with some questions. Why do there need to be firsts and lasts at all? If the rich man gives everything to the poor, can he be sure they will distribute it equally, and will they remember him when he is sick? Some of this makes more sense if you put it in the context of the end of times. Some say that's what Jesus was preaching and that the "age to come" is some perfectly egalitarian vision that can't be described or understood until we get there. Or it's metaphorical; you aren't really going to trade your house in for a hundred houses, but if you focus less on preserving your own place, you will enjoy the abundance of a community that shares its wealth.

Be sure to read the next few verses. They get skipped over before next week's gospel entry. They are the third and last time Jesus tells them exactly what is going to happen when they get to Jerusalem. It's another take on the persecution bit. I'll talk more about that next week.