{"id":892249,"date":"2023-09-14T13:26:32","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T17:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=bible_study&#038;p=292249"},"modified":"2026-06-23T19:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:50:12","slug":"bible-study-pentecost-21-a-october-22-2023","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-pentecost-21-a-october-22-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Proper 24 (A) \u2013 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/proper-24a\/\">RCL: Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Pr24-2023-Bible-Study-Graphic-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-292269\" style=\"width:512px;height:268px\" width=\"512\" height=\"268\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exodus 33:12-23<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier in this chapter, we learn that God commanded Moses to close up camp at Mount Sinai and led the Israelites to the \u201cland of milk and honey,\u201d but that God would not go with them. Moses is anxious and the Israelites are distressed and mournful. Gathered in the \u201ctent of meeting,\u201d Moses attempts to negotiate and change God\u2019s mind. He needs reassurance that God will be with him and the Israelites during this journey. God answers Moses\u2019 prayer, giving the promise of God\u2019s presence. But Moses persists, boldly drawing closer to God. A promise of God\u2019s special presence remaining with Israel on the way to the promised land is not enough for him. He wants <em>more <\/em>in his relationship with God. He\u2019s craving closeness and intimacy, wanting to know God in greater and deeper ways. \u201cShow me your glory,\u201d he asks. God agrees, choosing to reveal God\u2019s goodness and pass in front of Moses. Moses could only see God\u2019s back, a unique term often not used for anatomy. Seeing behind God, Moses is able to experience the close presence of God while still being protected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What kinds of spiritual intimacy are you seeking in your life?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the thinking of the ancient Israelites, one\u2019s name represented a person\u2019s character and nature. For God to know someone would mean God knowing that person\u2019s full self. What does it mean that God knows Moses by name? Do you feel known by God?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Psalm 99<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Psalm 99 uses profoundly powerful and provocative language as a lens through which the holiness and awesomeness of God may be better understood and praised. It starts with concepts of kingship and power and rule: \u201cLet the people tremble\u2026 let the earth shake.\u201d Now, in our modern age, imagery of sovereignty, power structures, and empire can feel uncomfortable. Many of us know of kings and hereditary rulers as tyrants refusing to yield power, or as imperial oppressors holding a tight grip on exploitative systems in society. But in ancient Israel, kings were often considered messianic figures sent by God to deliver the nation from those who sought to oppress them. With a strong king came safety and security, economic prosperity, and cultural flourishing. Psalm 99 couples proclamations of God\u2019s might with equal proclamations of God\u2019s holiness through attributes of justice and righteousness. Power and justice might not immediately go together in our minds, but the Psalmist uses well-understood language to give authority and credibility to God while proclaiming that God contains both. <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Psalm 99 also harkens back to communal history recorded in other scriptural texts. It roots its poetic praises in ancestry. From referencing God being enthroned upon cherubim like the cherubim-adorned lid of the ark of the covenant to naming core ancestors and leaders of the ancient Hebrews, the Psalm reminds readers that God has shown up for them in the past and thus will do so again today. \u201cFor the Lord our God is the Holy One!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are so many names people use for the Divine: King, Father, Lord, Creator, Shepherd, and the list goes on. What language do you like to use when referring to and describing the Divine?<strong><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why would it be important for the Psalmist to connect to communal history and tradition? How important is tradition in your own faith?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1 Thessalonians 1:1-10<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGood job, y\u2019all!\u201d This is essentially how Paul starts his letter to the church of converted pagans in Thessalonica, a major port city and capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. Paul praises the community for their commitment, faith, and actions in the face of persecution. He has no doubt that God is working through them. They\u2019re doing such a good job, in fact, that Paul jokes that the surrounding regions don\u2019t even need him to visit! Their actions as sincere and steadfast followers of Christ have illustrated the power and transformative nature of the Gospel. Through both their individual and collective practices fueled by faith, their community became an exemplar of Christian living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is the role of community in this passage? What is the role of community in your own faith &amp; practice?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our church and community structures look quite different today \u2013 politically, socially, and economically \u2013 than those of the Early Church. What can we take from this example of an early Christ-following community?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Matthew 22:15-22<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGive therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar\u2019s, and to God the things that are God\u2019s.\u201d What a puzzling answer to a puzzling question. At first glance, Jesus seems to be dividing the world into two camps: things that belong to the emperor, and things that belong to God. But I don\u2019t believe that\u2019s what he\u2019s doing. Instead, he\u2019s creatively saying that nothing belongs to the empire. Everything belongs to God, and our ultimate citizenship is not of this world. Coins, and thus money as a whole, are a human-made illusion that means nothing in the Kingdom of God. Jesus is not saying to make peace with oppression. He\u2019s also not advocating for social withdrawal and outright rebellion. Instead, he\u2019s cleverly pointing out that the question raised by the Pharisees and the Heriodians isn\u2019t the important one to be asking. His message isn\u2019t solely focused on the political issues of the time. What Jesus consistently seems to be doing throughout his teachings is recentering cultic and spiritual life back on God. <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The day prior, according to Matthew\u2019s Gospel, Jesus flipped the tables of the money changers and drove the salespeople out of the Temple upon arriving in Jerusalem. He dramatically showed his disgust with the way commerce and exploitation had perverted the Temple. So, when Jesus faces questioning the following day, he\u2019s frustrated that the people just aren\u2019t getting it. He\u2019s pushing them, and thus us as readers, to ask themselves, \u201cWhy do we perform these ritual practices and follow these traditions? What is it all even for?\u201d His focus is not on the Roman occupation, but rather on a return to the worship of God over money or status or power. Jesus\u2019 teachings are not limited to this transactional world that surrounds us; instead, he seeks to transform us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What do you think this passage means in our modern context ruled by nationalism, capitalism, and empire?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What powers or influences might be competing for your attention and focus?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-7afe0752-b6e1-4fc9-a3b8-5b6bff546204\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Proper-24-Bible-Study.docx\">Word \u2013 Proper 24 (A) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Proper-24-Bible-Study.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-7afe0752-b6e1-4fc9-a3b8-5b6bff546204\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-9d0bfda2-73aa-464e-b78c-52e0db1c35ff\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Proper-24-Bible-Study.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Proper 24 (A) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Proper-24-Bible-Study.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-9d0bfda2-73aa-464e-b78c-52e0db1c35ff\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RCL: Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22 Exodus 33:12-23 Earlier in this chapter, we learn that God commanded Moses to close up camp at Mount Sinai and led the Israelites to the \u201cland of milk and honey,\u201d but that God would not go with them. Moses is anxious and the Israelites are&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,52,33,3],"tags":[110],"class_list":["post-892249","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-sermons-that-work","category-the-season-after-pentecost","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-proper-24a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":33,"label":"The Season After Pentecost"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":110,"label":"Proper 24A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/892249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/892249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952248,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/892249\/revisions\/952248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}