Breaking Open the Word

Malachi 3:19-20a
2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Luke 20:27-38
 
Malachi is one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament. The name does not appear anywhere else in scripture, so it has been difficult for scholars to determine who wrote this book. The actual Hebrew translation is “my messenger” so they suggest that the author was an unknown, anonymous prophet.
 
As with many other Old Testament scriptures, the date it was composed is not straight forward in the text itself, but must me derived from situations they write about. In this case, the author references events that occurred fifty years before the competition of the temple, which was in 515 BC and before the ministry of Ezra, which was about 460-445 BC.
 
The major part of the text consists of six oracles. The word oracle comes from the Latin verb,” to speak.” It was thought that the oracles were portals where the gods spoke directly to the people. The word oracle also has the meaning of site in which the oracle was pronounced.
 
Here in Malachi, the oracles are used to describe the issues the prophet faced and what the people could expect in the way of God’s response; God’s love for Israel, Sins of the Priests, Sins of the community, God’s justice, Ritual offenses and God’s servants. It offers great insights as to how the Jewish communities lived in the middle of the 5 ^th century.
 
Malachi saw how the people, who had returned from exile, offered their temple sacrifices in ways that did not follow the law, he spoke against the people. He had already spoken against the priests who were not following the law and were not correcting the people in their worship.
 
The image we hear in this opening passage is a prophecy of destruction for those who are the proud, the evildoers, the ones who were not following the laws of the Lord. Their destruction was to be so complete that they could not rebuild from the root. When the root is destroyed, there is no hope for the continuation of life.
 
For those who fear the Lord, for those who respect and honor the Lord, the sun of justice will arise and offer healing rays. For those who repented, those who returned to the ways the Lord had taught, there would be hope and healing.
 
In Paul’s letter from 2 ^nd Thessalonians this week we hear Paul make the following comment; “..one must imitate us.” Paul is letting the people know that besides himself, Silvanus and Timothy are also writing to them, but in separate written dialogue. His reference is they as a group act in one accord, act as one group, like a community, offering themselves as examples that they are to follow, to imitate.
 
He points out to them that they worked for what they received. They did not go looking for handouts, free food, and did not act disorderly among them. Rather they worked so as to not burden the people they had come to bring the word of God to. They did not ask them to take care of them, but that they would take care of themselves. This was the model for them to follow.
 
Paul reminds them that those who do not work, should not be fed by the people. Those who were not minding their own business, but were in the middle of telling others what to do, are being disorderly.  Paul urges them to work quietly and to mind their own business.
 
We are fast approaching the end of cycle C for this liturgical year. We are also finishing the gospel of Luke with the exception of his passion. Jesus is in Jerusalem and is describing that the temple will be torn down and the people are asking when that will happen. He only tells them that “the days will come,” reminding us of what Malachi was telling the people of his time.
 
Jesus warns the people not to be deceived by the many who will come and declare they are the ones to turn to, to follow them. He also warns that they will hear and see a great many other things such as earthquakes, famines, and plagues. They will also see many signs that will come from the sky.
 
In addition, before any of this occurs, Jesus tells them that they should be expect to suffer persecution from those who are non-believers. We should expect to give testimony for the Lord, but that we are not to prepare ourselves in advance. At the proper time the Lord will give us the words to say and our adversaries will not be able to refute what we say.
 
Jesus tells us that not a hair on our head will be destroyed and that by our perseverance our lives will be secured. Our faithfulness to God, by following his words and commands, and His son Jesus, will ensure our entry into the Kingdom at the appointed time.