Bible Study: Epiphany 3 (C) – January 26, 2025

RCL: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

This Bible study is part of a series produced by the Office of Global Partnerships of The Episcopal Church.

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

The Old Testament book of Nehemiah focuses on the period when Persia conquered Babylon, and an edict from the Persian King Cyrus allows Jewish exiles to return to Israel from Babylon. Nehemiah, the Jewish governor under Persian rule, rebuilds Jerusalem’s walls and oversees many reforms, including rebuilding the Temple. Temple worship begins again and, along with it, a program of teaching the Torah, the Mosaic law, which was considered the foundation for godly and moral behavior.

Chapter 8 describes a great celebration taking place, that of the reconstruction by the rededicated community. In our current passage, we hear of the first public reading of the Torah. The people gather near one of the gates and ask the priest and scribe, Ezra, to read from Leviticus. Ezra opens the book in front of the people and reads from the law in Hebrew, “from early morning until midday”, while assistants translate and interpret. Ezra blesses the Lord, and the people answer “Amen.” This public reading of scriptures is the start of the practice that will continue throughout Jewish and Christian traditions.

Indeed, this scene of a religious authority figure reading the foundational scriptures in front of the people mirrors our typical modern Sunday worship services, apart from a few differences. First, the people are returning to worship after a long absence. Second, the intensity of their reaction is not often seen in church these days: “For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.” Ezra tells them not to be grieved on this holy day; rather, he reminds them to celebrate and feast, while saving and sharing a portion of their bounty with the less fortunate. He reminds them that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

• Have you ever been so moved by a reading of Scripture that it has caused you to weep? What was the passage, and what was the circumstance? How did this impact your spiritual life?
• Ezra associates holy days with celebration and joy, enjoying eating and drinking, not grief or lament. The people are told to share their portions with those who have none. What new insights does this Scripture prompt for you about how sacred holy days could be observed in our time?
• Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest, and the Temple assistants work together to provide a place for the people to hear and learn the Torah in a way that preserves the divine authority and dignity of the scriptures while making them accessible to the people. How do you see this interaction of governing and spiritual authorities working together in your own local congregational context? Is the relationship harmonious or are changes needed to improve partnerships that will spiritually benefit the people?

Psalm 19

In exquisite, poetic prose, the psalmist conveys through two distinct passages the same message, that divine wisdom illuminates our lives. The first portion (vv. 1 – 6) describes how the daily movements of the sun, the simple, ordinary-yet-extraordinarily unique passings of each day, “declare the glory of God” and “show his handiwork.” The same day, viewed by all, across all corners of the earth, tells the same story about the Creator of all.

The second portion of the psalm (vv. 7-12) describes as “perfect” the law and the Lord’s divine guidance. An array of reverent descriptors unfolds: “reviv[ing] the soul,” “sure,” “giv[ing] wisdom,” “just,” “rejoic[ing] the heart,” “clear,” “giv[ing] light to the eyes,” “true,” “righteous,” “more to be desired… than gold,” “enlighten[ing].” The law gives light to our consciences in the same way that the sun gives light to our days. God’s wisdom illuminates and helps to “keep [us] from presumptuous sins.”

Weaving these two distinct analogies into one overarching theme, the psalmist conveys not only the message that divine wisdom and guidance are available to all regardless of education or ability – we need only observe and reflect on the daily movement of the sun – but also that our deliberate dedication to learning God’s statutes will satisfy our longings for guidance and feed our hunger for spiritual well-being.

• Evangelism is difficult in our secularized societies, and even illegal in some countries where Episcopal/Anglican churches are located. Yet the increasing social awareness of the urgency of caring for the environment is a link to thinking about creation and Creator. How might society’s renewed interest in caring for creation open doors for us to share our love of God and creation with others? Have you encountered these shared concerns or conversations with people in your own life or church?
• Are there any portions of God’s “law” that have been so enlightening for you that you can relate to the psalmist’s reverential attitude? Have you ever felt that you were being providentially protected from “presumptuous sins” through illuminating wisdom gained from God’s teachings?
• What revelations were involved in your coming to awareness of God’s existence and guidance? Was it more of an instinctual understanding such as observing the movement of the sun, or were you taught in a more methodical way about God’s existence and divine plans?

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

In this epistle, the apostle Paul writes from Ephesus (modern Turkey) around 57 AD, to Christians in the church of Corinth, a church which he had founded. Corinth was a Greco-Roman city, a major port and industrial crossroads and a center for the arts. Its centrality meant that its residents came from diverse places and ethnicities. Paul responds here to two letters he has received from the Christians in Corinth, about divisions and disunity that have taken root in the church.

In his response, Paul describes the interdependent body of Christ, one body with many parts, each with its function, its entirely noble and differentiated purpose and its own gifts it contributes to the whole body. We are all part of this body of Christ because we are all baptized in the one Spirit and made to drink of one Spirit. “Jews or Greeks, slaves or free,” our status apart from the body is irrelevant. In this metaphor comparing society to a body, the weaker parts are not inferior but rather equalized in their value through receiving greater honor. Hence, any sense of hierarchy or power is neutralized by this paradoxical reversal.

If we are a stronger or more honorable member, we must remember that others who are weak or may seem inferior to us are nevertheless indispensable and honorable. If we see ourselves as a weaker or less worthy member of the body of Christ, it will help us to remember that greater honor is ours as inferior members, thus leveling our positions so that there is no dissension within the body. Since God has distributed diverse gifts across the body, we do not need to envy or feel ambitious about having another’s gifts, nor believe that one member’s gifts are worth more than another’s.

• We live in an era when Christians of good conscience, despite contemplating these same words from Paul applicable in our own day, are at odds with each other and may not see themselves as part of the same body or even tolerate being part of the same body. As a member of the body of Christ, how do you feel drawn by the Spirit to respond, and what actions might you take to help heal and unify the body?  
• In what ways might you, as a member of the body of Christ, contribute to “greater honor” for members who appear weaker or inferior? What particular gifts do you bring to the body in this regard? What obstacles prevent your action and what new possibilities spring to mind that might encourage equity and unity?

Luke 4:14-21

Luke writes of Jesus’ return to Galilee, after having been tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He is now filled with the power of the Spirit and about to begin his ministry in Galilee. Jesus begins to teach in the synagogues and word begins to spread about him through the surrounding country. When he arrives on the Sabbath day at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, which would have been his usual practice when he lived there, he stands up and reads from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” along with subsequent verses that seem to describe the ministry he is beginning. This might have appeared to the listeners in the synagogue to be simply a regular reading of the scriptures… until Jesus goes on to say, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

One might think that those who were listening to Jesus in the synagogue that day would have been incredulous about his seemingly self-important conclusions. On the contrary, although it is not included in the passage chosen for this commentary, the next verse reveals that his actions are, at first, well received: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.  They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’”

• Imagine yourself in the synagogue the day that Jesus read these scriptures aloud. What would have been your reaction to his declaring, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”? What would have convinced you that his seemingly outlandish statement should be taken seriously?
• As Christians, we believe that God calls each of us to ministry. Imagine that you, like Jesus, are called to read this Isaiah passage that begins with “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” What actions of ministry would you describe thereafter? What has God called you to do at this point in your life, or what is God calling you to do?

Lynnaia Main serves as The Episcopal Church Representative to the United Nations, a staff member of the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church’s Global Partnerships team. Prior to joining the staff, she studied and worked for 25 years in international relations and political science in United Nations, academic, and business settings. Her desire to follow God’s vocational call led her through a discernment process that pointed to lay ministry, and shortly thereafter she joined the Church’s staff. She has served for many years as a lay leader at the Eglise française du Saint Esprit in New York City and on boards and committees in the Diocese of New York.