>Our Plans, Our Identity, Our Work (Free Version)
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a, Ephesians 2:11-22, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
All of our stories this week have to do with finding our center in God alone.
In our Old Testament text (2 Samuel 7:1-14a), David has finally settled in his new home, Israel’s new capital. David has a well-conceived and perhaps well-intentioned plan for his work for God, the LORD himself also has a plan. God continues to remind Israel of their need to trust in Him, not in their own work.
The word for “house” can mean both “dynasty” and “temple.” With this in mind, Nathan’s entire prophecy can be summarized this way: “You are not to build a house for God, but he will raise a house for you.”1
The word of the LORD to David is that there is one who would come and would be both the true king- the one who loves and cares (and even dies) for his people; and the true temple- not just a building but a person. The LORD says, “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me” The Son of David will also be the Son of God.
Just as David could not trust in his own work, In our Epistle text (Ephesians 2:11-22), Paul says that the Gentiles can no longer trust in the pagan gods or all of the trappings that go with their worship of those gods (social, economic, etc.). They are no longer defined by these “non-gods.” They have been chasing after empty and hollow things. Also, the Jews are no longer defined by circumcision. Rather, they are defined by the fact that they are In Christ. Likewise, we often find ourselves “without God” chasing things that lead nowhere.
This new family that is In Christ is a whole new family! This all happens through the cross. The cross of Jesus has brought the pagans close in, from being far away (verse 13). It has torn down the barrier that has stood up between the two families (verse 14). It has abolished the law. And it is God who has done this by his own action.
Of course, when you pull a bunch of people with a bunch of different defining identities together, you are bound to have conflict. And through that conflict, you have to have a common defining reality. For the Church, Jesus is that defining reality. He makes peace. How does Jesus make peace? Paul says five things: he brings home, he brings together, he breaks down hostility, he recreates a unified humanity, and he reconciles all of us to God.
This closing section describes the Church as a building. Jesus is the chief cornerstone with which the building rises and falls. Together, each of us as are the joists and boards and shingles, light switches, countertops, flooring, cabinetry, etc. that is being built together, (always dependent on the builder, the Holy Spirit) as a dwelling place for God.
Finally, in our gospel text (Mark 6:30-34, 53-56) Jesus’ withdrawal from the crowds signals his trust in the Father. Jesus was not simply a one-man healing clinic, trying to heal as many people as possible. All of his work came out of his relationship with the Father. Jesus’ healings point us to God’s greater plan: beyond new building projects and the other projects and reputations that we build for ourselves. Jesus shows us that God is working in the world. And there will be a day when all will be healed.
Looking for more? Check out our different subscription tiers for more context, commentary and illustrations. TOMORROW is our first Zoom call for “Deep Dive Subscribers.”
David F. Payne, 1 & 2 Samuel, (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1982), 187-189.