2245AFC110422 – What does that mean?
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2 Maccabees 7:1 – 1 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and thongs, to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.
Psalm 17:8 – 8 Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
Luke 20:37-38 – 37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. As we approach the beginning of Advent on November 27, we are hearing Scriptures that remind us that hope and faith are our best defense against evil. We can build our hope and faith around our sure knowledge that God will protect all those he has called to him. We also hear that a King is coming (↔ Music Link) who will restore Peace to all the Earth (↔ Music Link). Meanwhile we are reminded that evil still has a firm grip on the world. For this Sunday’s readings, we’re going to once again peek behind the pages to see “What does that mean?” let’s start with a little history. Who were the Maccabees, and why is their story important today? The chosen readings for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time focus on hope, faith, and courage because of the assurance of the Resurrection. The first reading is from 2 Maccabees 7. Use that link if you’re using a KJV Bible or something similar. The two
Coin for Antiochus IV
books of Maccabees recount the horrible period of time when Antiochus IV (an-TEE-a-cus) was the reigning power over the Seleucid Empire. He lived from about 205 – 164 BC. His goal was to obliterate all religions and cultures in the region and to replace them with Greek gods, commerce, and philosophies. What does that mean?
He was a horrible man who considered himself divine – he referred to himself as “god manifest” (Epiphanes). His subjects called him Antiochus Epimanes – Antiochus the Mad. He was arrogant, capricious, vicious, merciless, and notorious for his excesses. Here’s what the Prophet Daniel had to say about him: Daniel 7:25 – 25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High,
and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law;
and they shall be given into his power
for a time, two times, and half a time.
Nonetheless, his conquered territory, as you can see in the map shown here, included a good slice of the world – much of which was conquered by his father Antiochus III (↔ Click Link) who was a way-better ruler and administrator than his son who tried very hard to eliminate Jewish culture, tradition, and law. He ruled from about 175 – 164 BC. He died during the Maccabean Revolt. What does that mean?
The Jewish Maccabees’ revolt was from about 167-160 BC. In the 7th chapter of 2 Maccabees, we read the story of a family of Jewish “super heroes” who willingly gave up their lives rather than transgress the laws of their ancestors.” Each was tortured in the most heinous ways as their mother was forced to watch. One brother said, “You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.” Another said of his hands and tongue, “I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again.” In these two passages we see, then, the expectation of the Messiah, and the resurrection of the dead. Would that we could all be so brave in the face of such grave evil! Their confidence in God’s protection extended beyond their physical lives. We know someone who lived and died like that, and we call ourselves after his name because of it: Christian. We should all know what that means.
God’s loving protection is exemplified in the passage from Psalms. This one has an unusual expression – another of those we often slide right over as we read it – “Keep me as the apple of your eye.” What does that mean? The Hebrew word – kə-’î-šō-wn (ke- ee-shone’) – literally means “the little man of the eye.” It refers to the pupil of our eyes which we protect because it is so precious to us. God provided curtains and awnings for the eyes – our eyelids and eyebrows – and we ask him to protect us as he would guard his own eyes. Quite a poetic image of living harmony from the Psalmist there. In that same passage, we have the tender image of protectiveness like that of a mother hen and her chicks as she spreads her wings to protect them from any harm or danger. These two images from the Maccabees’ ancestor, King David, are so beautiful and reassuring. We can imagine the Jews of that era of terror found great comfort in them. Antiochus IV held all these things, places, and people in disdain as 
he styled himself as an equal of God. He died near the middle of the Revolt, allegedly struck down by Judah Maccabeus, the son of the first leader of the Revolt, Mattathias. Quite possibly it was a sword similar to this one that finally ended his heartless hatred. We all know what that means, and we do not want to be anything like that. Let’s see what The Apostle Paul has for us on that topic.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. Who among us would not cherish eternal comfort and good hope? These tremendously beautiful and precious gifts are given to us through Love and Grace from our Lord, Jesus the Christ and his Father, the Creator of all that is Good. (Remember James 1:17) We have been chosen to receive mercy and grace upon grace. Give thanks to the Lord for such is his everlasting love. (↔ Music Link) That is the image of God that Judah Maccabeus envisioned as he dealt with the evil that had overthrown his Nation. Around this same era in history, we see the formation of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. (Please use this link to download a valuable resource on this topic.) And what is the effect in our lives of these good and gracious gifts from God? They serve to comfort and strengthen our hearts “in every good work and word.” They help us live a life of courage, Hope, and Faith because of the assurance of the Resurrection – just like described above. Do you remember what The Apostle Paul said about being a Pharisee? (↔ Click Link) What does that mean?
The Pharisees believed in the Resurrection, the Sadducees did not. The Pharisees rooted their teaching in the Torah, whereas the Sadducees focused primarily on the Temple rituals and rules. By Jesus’ time the Pharisees were completely bogged down in the semantics of the Law, a fact which Jesus pointed out to them (and the people!) many times in the Gospels.
The Pharisees believed in angels and Heaven, the Sadducees were the original YOLO believers – you get this life and after that, zilch. There was always tension between the two groups. Another faction that contributed to the fray was the group of legal professionals – we might refer to them as lawyers today – who had a good knowledge of the Law like the Pharisees, but also had the authority to draw up contracts usually in a limited geographical area. Scribes and Pharisees together often challenged Jesus on his understanding and presentation of the Law in his teachings.
Living off to the outside of 2nd century BC Judaism we have the group known as the Essenes. They were withdrawn and operated somewhat like communal mystics who followed teachings of a mysterious figure called “The Teacher of Righteousness.” They were most likely still active while Jesus was on Earth. For them, the human soul was temporarily relegated to a body of flesh and bone but actually lived eternally before and after an earthly life. What does that mean? They would have completely understood YOLO-F
Now, with all of these divers philosophies and theological differences, the things that Jesus was saying just really shook people up. That’s why these religious leaders in the community were always trying to trip him up with overly complicated questions and riddles like the one the Sadducees came up with – “if seven brothers died, each childless after living with the first brother’s widow, whose wife would she be in Heaven?” I think if we had situation like that today it would show up on Dateline or 20/20 as a True Crime story! Jesus told them that the life after death included the Resurrection and that each of those persons, fictional as they were, would be as angels (a nod to the Pharisees, perhaps). He gave them their own strict belief straight from the Torah: Moses called out “Lord” while witnessing the Burning Bush, and if we look at God’s response we can see Jesus quoted it: Exodus 3:6, 15 – 6 He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:
This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations. What does that mean? End of discussion – game, set, match – for the Sadducees.
As we draw this to a close, we have seen that in the readings from Maccabees and Luke we have seven brothers, all of whom died. We also see in those readings that the Resurrection is our Great Hope. The Apostle Paul shows us that in all things we are strengthened by encouragement and hope in God’s great Love and Perfect Grace. He will protect us as surely as we protect our eyes, and he will rescue us from all that might inhibit our vision of him. We see our hope and encouragement when looking up to God and as the Psalmist says, Psalm 42:5-6 – 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar. (This area is around present southern Lebanon and includes very high mountains and low hills; like saying “over high and low.”)
We need not feel cast down, lost, or hopelessly confused by our many burdens. We have Jesus who says in Matthew 11:28-30 – 28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. AMEN. We all know what that means.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 – 16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace
at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.
That’s the APP for you!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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