People who use sacred texts have often found ways of selecting passages appropriate to their needs. Disciples of Confucius used a complex system of hexagrams, chosen by lot, to find images and comments suitable to their time, place and situation. In classical and medieval times, the writings of Virgil and Homer were used in a similar way. Sometimes the Bible was accessed by lot or dice or random procedures. The Church responded to the need to select appropriate wisdom from the Bible, by the daily lectionary, a selection of readings for every day in the year, which was originally used in monasteries, but has for some time been used in daily mass in the Catholic Church, and for private devotion in others. Obviously the choice of passages reflects a theology and the Christian calendar, but it also has an arbitrary element. It asks the reader, “Can this wisdom be applied to your soul, your community, your place, today?” This blog follows the daily readings and hopes to uncover some wisdom.

Reading 1, 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34

26 Jeroboam thought to himself, ‘As things are, the kingdom will revert to the House of David.

27 If this people continues to go up to the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, the people’s heart will turn back again to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will put me to death.’

28 So the king thought this over and then made two golden calves; he said to the people, ‘You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here is your God, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt!’

29 He set one up at Bethel,

30 and the people went in procession in front of the other one all the way to Dan. In Israel this gave rise to sin, for the people went to Bethel to worship the one, and all the way to Dan to worship the other.

31 He set up shrines on the high places and appointed priests from ordinary families, who were not of levitical descent.

32 Jeroboam also instituted a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth of the month, like the feast kept in Judah, when he offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did at Bethel, offering sacrifices to the calves which he had made and, at Bethel, installing the priests of the high places which he had set up.

33 Jeroboam did not give up his wicked ways after this incident, but went on appointing priests for the high places from the common people. He consecrated as priests of the high places any who wished to be.

34 Such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction from the face of the earth. 

The editors of the book of Kings saw Jeroboam as an idolator. The king of Israel felt his people should not have to go to Jerusalem in Judah for worship; and that if they constantly worshipped in Judah, they would return to the rule of David’s descendants. This political manipulation of worship was enough to bring the king into disrepute with a later generation of scribes, who saw it as the beginnings of idolatry. The use of faith for either personal or national advantage is condemned. I can remember when men were encouraged to become church elders, as it would be “good for business.”  Nowadays, I consider the U.S.A’s identification of its cause with Christianity to be a form of idolatry. So maybe the ancient story has contemporary relevance.

Gospel, Mark 8:1-10

1 And now once again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples to him and said to them,

2 ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat.

3 If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.’

4 His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get these people enough bread to eat in a deserted place?’

5 He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ And they said to him, ‘Seven.’

6 Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and began handing them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd.

7 They had a few small fishes as well, and over these he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed too.

8 They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over.

9 Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away 10 and at once, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha

 This companion story to the feeding of 5000 men is meant to show, that just as Jesus and his community could “feed” Jewish people (12 baskets, 12 tribes), so they could also feed the gentiles (7 baskets, 7 gentile nations in Jewish tradition). Mark tells the stories as signs of Jesus’ messianic ministry exercised with his disciples. He is the good shepherd who feeds his flock with true teaching and bodily care. Wherever his church lives it must carry on this ministry, using whatever resources it has. The resources of the church are intended for this messianic ministry to the people round about, not for its own consumption. I think Jesus might be disappointed at the proportion of the Church of Scotland’s resources which are used within the church community today.